University  of  California. 

IS     LI  K  HER, 

'       in  CulloRO,  New  York. 


MICHAEL     REESE, 


-^ 


^ 


V.VA  - 

^    ' 


NARRATIVE 

or  A 

•j 

VISIT  TO  THE  SYRIAN  [JACOBITE]  CHURCH 
OF  MESOPOTAMIA; 

WITH  STATEMENTS  AND  REFLECTIONS 

UPON    THB    PRESENT 

STATE  OF  CHRISTIANITY  IN  TURKEY, 


THE  CHARACTER  AND  PBOSPECTS 


EASTERN  CHURCHES. 


BY    THE 

REV.   HORATIO   SOUTHGATE,  M.  A. 


NEW-YORK  : 

DANA    AND    COMPANY 
381    BROAD  WAT. 

1856. 


ENTERED,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1844,  by 

D.   APPLETON   &   CO., 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Southern  District 
of  New- York. 


J 


PREFACE. 


THIS  little  book  is  introductory  to  a  series  which  the  author  has  long 
had  in  contemplation,  and  which,  if  sufficient  encouragement  is  given  to 
the  undertaking,  will  in  due  time  appear,  according  as  the  pressure  of 
other  cares  may  allow  him  to  finish  them.  Their  sole  object  and  design 
is  to  set  forth  the  Eastern  Churches  in  their  real  character,  to  show  their 
wants,  their  condition  and  their  prospects,  with  a  view  to  engaging  a 
deeper  interest  and  sympathy  in  their  behalf.  He  addresses  himself  to 
Churchmen,  for  they  alone  will  fully  appreciate  the  considerations  which 
he  has  to  present.  To  them,  and  to  them  only  does  he  believe  the  work 
of  restoring  and  strengthening  those  Churches  to  be  committed,  and  they 
alone  are  able  to  perform  it. 

As  a  specimen  of  the  character  of  the  works  which  he  has  thus  under- 
taken, and  to  supply  information  on  a  point  upon  which  some  will  expect 
to  meet  with  it  in  this  volume,  the  following  is  subjoined  from  a  treatise  on 
the  Doctrines,  Ministry,  Worship,  Ritual,  Usages  and  Religious  Condition 
of  the  Syrian  Church, — which  is  partly  ready  for  the  press. 

After  speaking  of  the  Worship  of  the  Syrian  Church,  the  work  pro- 
ceeds : 

We  pass  now  from  the  outer  shell  of  the  externals  of  religion  to  speak 
of  its  kernel ;  from  the  forms  of  public  worship  we  turn  to  doctrine. 
And  here  the  first  object  which  attracts  attention  is  the  difference  by 
which  the  Syrians  are  separated  from  the  great  body  of  the  Christian 
Church,  which  has  made  them  a  distinct  people  for  more  than  a  thousand 
years.  I  allude  to  their  doctrine  concerning  the  nature  of  Christ.  What 
they  are  in  common  reputation  is  evident  from  the  names  they  bear. 
They  are  most  commonly  called  Jacobites1  or  Jacobite  Syrians,  from 

1)    This  term  is  sometimes  applied  by  Western  writers  to  the  whole  body  of  the 
Monophyeites,  including  the  Armenians,  Copts  and  Abyssinians  ai  well  as  the  Syri- 


IV  PREFACE. 

Jacobus  Baradaeus,  who,  in  the  sixth  century,  revived  their  declining 
Church,  and  with  almost  incredible  zeal  and  success  spread  it  throughout 
the  regions  of  Syria  and  Mesopotamia.  Sometimes  they  are  called  Eu- 
tycheans,  from  Eutyches,  the  principal  founder  and  propagator  of  the  M o- 
nophysite  doctrine,  who  was  condemned  by  the  Council  of  Chalcedon, 
A.  D.  451.  Sometimes  they  are  called  Monophysi tes ;  and  sometimes, 
distinctively,  Syrian  Monophysites.  All  these  terms  are  intended  to  im- 
ply that  they  hold  the  doctrine  of  one  nature  in  Christ.  Our  present 
business  is  to  define  their  exact  position.  The  subject  is  one  of  great  im- 
portance, inasmuch  as  it  is  the  principal  thing  which  separates  them  from 
other  branches  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 

First,  then,  they  are  not  properly  called  Eutycheans,  both  because 
they  do  not  hold  the  doctrine  of  Eutyches,  and  because  they  condemn 
and  anathematize  the  heretic  himself.  Not  only  do  they  positively  de- 
clare this  in  all  their  conversations,  but  every  Bishop,  at  his  consecration, 
pronounces  a  form  of  anathema  upon  Eutyches. 

Secondly,  the  term  Jacobite  ( Yacoubi)  is,  indeed,  common  among 
themselves,  although  it  is  disliked  by  their  most  learned  men,  who  re- 
gard their  Church  as  the  ancient  Church  of  Antioch.  Their  Patriarch 
styles  himself  the  successor  of  St.  Peter,  in  that  see,  and  calls  the  Greek 
Bishop  who  claims  it,  a  Metropolitan.  The  Greek  Papal  Patriarch,  the 
head  of  those  who  have  seceded  from  the  Greek  Church  in  Syria,  also 
lays  claim  to  the  same  title,  so  that  there  are  no  less  than  three  prelates 
who  style  themselves  Patriarch  of  Antioch.  The  question,  however, 
properly  lies  between  the  Greek  and  the  Syrian,  as  they  alone  can  claim 
in  the  right  of  succession  from  St.  Peter.  The  papal  pretender  has  no 
other  title  than  that  he  has  been  recognized,  and,  indeed,  created,  by  the 
Patriarch  of  Rome,  called  the  Pope.  Not  only  is  he  unable  to  show  a 
succession  extending  beyond  a  few  generations,  but  the  act  by  which  he 
is  created,  is  a  palpable  usurpation  on  the  part  of  the  Patriarch  of  Rome 
and  in  direct  violation  of  ancient  Canons.1  The  Greek  and  Syrian  Pa- 
triarchs, however,  claim  in  due  and  regular  succession  from  the  Apostles. 
The  Syrians,  therefore,  discard  the  name  of  Jacobites,  as  not  properly 
applicable  to  their  Church,  although  in  common  conversation  the  laity 
frequently  use  it.  They  acknowledge  Jacobus  Baradaeus  (Yacoub  Bar- 
dani)  as  the  reviver  and  strengthener  of  their  Church,  but  not  as  its 
founder.  They  do  not  esteem  him  a  saint  above  other  holy  men  of  old, 

1)  See  the  fourth  and  sixth  Canons  of  the  First  Council  of  Nice,  A.  D  325;  the 
•econd  of  the  Pint  Council  of  Constantinople,  A.  D  381  ;  the  eighth  of Ephcsus ;  the 
first  of  Chalcedon  confirming  the  Canons  of  preceding  Council*.  Several  other  Can- 
ons of  the  same  Councils  bear  upon  the  subject. 


PREFACE.  V 

nor  have  they  any  day  set  apart  in  honor  of  his  memory.  The  Patriarch 
once  rebuked  me  for  calling  his  people  Jacobites,  and  said  it  was  a  term 
given  to  them  by  their  enemies.  I  have  often  heard  it,  however,  among 
the  laity,  especially  as  used  to  distinguish  themselves  from  the  seceding 
party,  and  the  firmans  and  other  documents  issued  by  Government  gene- 
rally, not  always,  contain  it.1  The  Latins  do  their  utmost  to  fix  it  upon 
them,  while  they  call  the  seceding  party  Syrian  Catholics.  Both  terms 
seem  to  me  unjust,  the  first  because  they  themselves  discard  it,  and  be- 
cause there  seems  to  be  no  more  propriety  in  calling  them  from  the  name 
of  Jacobus  Baradaeus,  than  there  would  be  in  calling  ourselves  Parker- 
ites  ;  the  second  because  the  Catholicity  of  the  seceders  consists  primari- 
ly in  their  acknowledgment  of  Papal  supremacy.  In  these  pages  I  call 
the  first  Syrians,  which  is  the  name  (Syriani)  by  which  they  are  common- 
ly known  in  the  East.  The  seceders  I  call  Syrian  Papists,  or  Papal 
Syrians,  not  from  the  desire  to  convey  any  reproach  thereby,  but  because 
it  indicates  most  precisely  the  leading  difference  between  them  and  the 
Church  from  which  they  have  seceded.  A  Roman  Catholic  writer  says, 
that  the  Eastern  Christians  recognize  in  this  the  only  difference  between 
themselves  and  the  Church  of  Rome.  "  As  for  you  [Roman]  Catholics, 
they  [the  Armenians,  Nestorians  and  Jacobites,]  used  to  say  to  us, 
'  only  one  question  divides  us — obedience  to  the  same  chief.  Prove  to  us 
the  necessity  of  this  and  a  reunion  will  be  effected.'  "2  Nothing  could 
more  clearly  show  the  nature  of  Roman  Catholic  operations  among  the 
Eastern  Churches,  and  well  might  the  people  understand  that  that  was 
the  only  difference  which  is  the  only  difference  insisted  upon.  There  is 
no  other  term  than  Papist,  then,  which  gives  an  exact  idea  of  an  East- 
ern Christian  who  has  seceded  from  his  own  Church  to  that  of  Rome. 
I  adopt  it,  therefore,  simply  as  the  most  appropriate. 

Thirdly,  as  to  the  term  Munophy sites,  it  seems  to  me  clearly  that  the 
justice  of  it  must  depend  upon  the  real  belief  of  the  Syrians.     Monophy- 

1)  This,  however,  has  been  brought  about  by  the  Latins  in  their  controversies 
with  the  Syrians,  before  the  Porte. 

2)  Corrcspondance  et  Memoires  d>un  Voyageur  en  Orient.  Par  Eugene  Borc,I.  343. 
— It  does  not  appear  from  the  author's  pages  that  he  ever  questioned  the  truth  of  this 
remark,  or  gave  these  Christians  to  understand  that  it  was  farther  necessary,  in  order 
to  become  "  Catholics,"  that  they  should  recognize  the  Councils  which  they  reject, 
and  receive  the  faith  of  the  Universal  Chuich.     And  this  is  in  exact  accordance  with 
the  teachings  of  Latin  emissaries  wherever,  throughout  the  Turkish  Empire,  the  pres- 
ent writer  has  witnessed  any  thing  of  their  operations.     The  question  of  Papal  su- 
premacy is  every  where  thrust  forward  and  made  all  in  all,  and  the  Eastern  Christians 
universally  understand  by  the  word  Catoleck  simply  and  solely  one  who  acknowledges 
the  fope,    Such,  however,  we  must  call  Papists. 


VI  PREFACE. 

sitism  is  the  name  universally  appropriated  to  the  doctrine  of  Eutyches, 
which  the  Syrians  do  not  hold  ;  in  this  sense,  therefore,  they  are  not  Mo- 
nophysites,  and  I  think  it  must  create  both  confusion  and  needless  preju- 
dice to  call  them  so. 

We  proceed  now  to  show  what  their  real  doctrine  is.  And, 
1.  They  do  not  hold  the  doctrine  of  the  absorption  of  the  human 
into  the  divine  nature,  in  Christ.  This  was  the  heresy  of  Eutyches 
which  was  condemned  by  the  Fourth  General  Council.  The  Syrians  re- 
ject this  doctrine  altogether,  not  only  in  their  words,  but  in  their  standards, 
and  every  Bishop,  at  his  consecration,  is  required  to  denounce  and  anathe- 
matize it. 

2.  They  do  not  hold  to  the  mingling  or  confusion  of  the  two  natures 
in  Christ,  but  discard  the  doctrine  and  speak  most  strongly  and  unequivo- 
cally against  it,  as  do  also  their  ancient  writers,  Bar  Hebraeus  for  example. 
Thus  I  have  frequently  heard  them  use  such  comparisons  as  these — that 
the  two  natures  are  not  mingled,  as  we  say  that  wine  and  water  are 
mingled  ;  nor  does  the  one  pervade  the  other,  as  we  say  that  leaven  dif- 
fuses itself  through  the  lump. 

3.  To  speak  affirmatively,  they  distinctly  and  clearly  hold  that  there 
are  two  natures  in  Christ,  the  divine  and  the  human,  and  that  these  two 
natures  are  in  the  incarnation  brought  together  in  one,  not  mingled,  nor 
confounded,  but  united.     But, 

4.  They  say  that  the  result  of  this  union  is  most  properly  described 
as   one  nature.      Up  to  this  point    they  seem    to  agree  with   us,  but 
here,  in  words  at  least,  they  differ.     They  do  not,  however,  deny  the  truth 
of  our  'own  doctrine — that  the  two  are  united  in  one  person — but  admit 
it.     Yet  they  say,  this  is  not  enough,  for  it  does  not  sufficiently  express  a 
real  and  indivisible  union.     To  the  whole  ^of  our  second  Article  those  to 
whom  I  have  shown  it,  cordially  agree,  but  they  think  it  stops  short  of  the 
full  expression,  and  that  it  would  more  exactly  describe  their  own  doctrine 
i  f  the  word  nature  were  substituted  for,  or  added  to,  the  word  person.   ,Thus 
they  say  that  "  the  two  whole  and  perfect  natures  were  joined  together  in 
one  nature  "  as  well  as  in  one  person .     What  now  do  they  mean  by  this  ? 

5.  And  here  I  will  say  that  I  have  never  been  able  to  discover  the 
slightest  difference  between  their  meaning  of  the  word  nature,  when 
used  to  express  the  result  of  the  union  of  the  two  natures  in  Christ,  and 
our  meaning  of  the  word  person,  when  BO  used.     I  will  not  positively 
affirm  that  there  is  no  difference,  (for  this  is  a  subject  on  which  I  feel 
extremely  diffident  of  my  own  judgment,)  but  I  do  say  that  I  cannot 
comprehend  the  difference,  if  it  exists.     After  discussions  almost  innume- 
rable with  their  Patriarch,  Bishops  and  other  clergy,  (for  it  IB  a  matter  to 


PREFACE.  VJi 

which  they  frequently  recur,)  it  does  seem  to  me  that  what  they  wish  to 
assert  by  the  oneness  of  nature  in  Christ,  is  precisely  what  we  assert  by 
the  oneness  of  person.  Why,  then,  do  they  use  a  different  term?  Be- 
cause they  imagine  that  the  word  person  implies  only  an  outward  pres- 
ence, as  used  by  us,  while  the  words  one  nature,  with  them,  imply  an 
inward  and  real  union,  by  which  the  one  Christ  is  spoken  of  as  a  single 
individual,  from  whom,  as  from  one,  all  his  words  and  actions  proceed. 
Thus  they  say,  (to  illustrate  this  union,)  it  was  the  same  Christ  who  per- 
formed miracles,  and  who  ate  and  drank, — in  both  actions  the  same  in- 
dividual Christ.  Yet  they  acknowledge  that  some  actions  belong  to  him 
as  divine,  others  belong  to  him  as  human.  For  example,  they  assert,  it 
was  Christ  in  his  humanity  who  suffered  upon  the  Cross ;  but  to  guard, 
again,  against  the  notion  of  a  separation  of  natures,  they  add,  the  Christ 
who  suffered  upon  the  Cross  was  divine,  for  he  forgave  the  penitent  thief 
and  promised  him  Paradise,  and  the  Scriptures  also  say  that  God  gave 
his  only  begotten  Son  to  die  for  us.  They  say,  moreover,  that  generally 
the  actions  of  Christ  are  to  be  affirmed  of  him  as  one, — one  by  the  indi- 
visible union  of  the  two  natures.  Thus  they  use  illustrations  like  these, 
which  I  have  recorded  from  their  own  lips :  It  was  Christ  who  asked 
where  Lazarus  lay  ;  it  was  also  Christ  who  raised  him  from  the  dead.  It 
was  Christ  who  was  sleeping  in  the  storm  ;  it  was  also  Christ,  who  calm- 
ed its  rage.  In  each  case  appear  by  different  acts  his  humanity  and  his 
divinity.  He  inquired  and  he  slept  as  man  ;  he  raised  the  dead  and  allayed 
the  tempest  as  God  ;  for  this  he  did,  not  as  an  instrument,  like  the  Apos- 
tles, but  in  his  own  power.  Yet  both  the  one  and  the  other  belong  to  the 
single  individual  Christ.  They  condemn  Eutyches  for  confounding  these 
two  natures,  and  Nestorius  for  separating  them,  and  they  refer  to  the 
writings  of  Cyril  of  Alexandria,  especially  his  Twelve  Letters  against 
Nestorius,  as  giving  a  true  exposition  of  their  doctrine. 

They  think  that  their  mode  of  stating  the  union  of  the  two  natures  is 
necessary,  in  order  to  guard  against  the  doctrine  of  their  existing  dis- 
tinctly in  the  same  person,  or  under  the  same  outward  presence,  for  so 
they  declare  they  understand  the  word  person  as  here  used.  They  sup- 
posed our  doctrine,  or  rather  the  Latin,  for  of  us  they  had  known  nothing, 
to  be  nearly  the  same  with  that  of  Nestorius,  viz.,  that  the  two  natures 
act  separately  and  independently  of  each  other,  as  in  two  individuals. 
They  were,  therefore,  agreeably  surprised  with  the  definition  of  our  sec- 
ond Article,  which  declares  that  "  the  two  natures  were  joined  together  in 
one  person,  never  to  be  divided,  whereof  is  one  Christ ;"  only  they  thought 
that  the  word  person  (jVJiJof)>  as  use^  by  the  Latins,  denoted  alone  the 


Vili  PREFACE, 

outward  and  visible  appearance,  and  that  to  say  merely  that  the  two 
natures  are  in  one  person,  meant  only  that  they  coexist  under  one  out- 
ward presence.  The  statement,  therefore,  of  our  Article,  that  they  are 
joined  together,  and  never  to  be  divided,  and  that  of  this  union  is  one 
Christ,  seemed  to  present  to  them  a  new  view  of  the  Western  faith,  as 
recognizing,  under  the  outward  presence,  the  very  union  of  natures  which 
they  wish  to  affirm  by  calling  the  result  nature  instead  of  person.  They 
seemed  never  to  have  looked  upon  the  one  person  of  the  Western  Creed 
as  the  result  of  the  union  of  the  two  natures,  but  only  as  the  external 
form  which  inclosed  or  contained  them.  In  other  words,  they  were  not 
aware  of  our  asserting  an  actual  joining  together  of  the  two  natures,  but 
only  of  their  coexistence  under  one  presence.  Nor  were  they  at  first 
willing  to  take  this  view  of  the  Western  Creed,  when  I  pressed  it  upon 
them,  for  it  led  at  once  to  the  conclusion  that  they  had  been  separated 
from  the  great  body  of  the  Christian  Church  for  so  many  centuries  cause- 
lessly. On  the  contrary  they  at  first  endeavored  to  show  that  there  must 
be  a  difference,  as  this  alone  would  justify  their  separation,  but  finally  in 
every  instance  they  came  to  the  conclusion,  that  if  there  was  any,  it  was 
too  subtil  to  be  apprehended.  Thus,  I  was  once  called  upon  to  act  as 
arbitrator  between  a  Syrian  Papal  Bishop  and  two  Syrian  Bishops,  who 
met  for  a  discussion  of  this  subject — the  nature  of  Christ.  The  conference 
continued  for  three  successive  days,  and  at  the  conclusion  the  two  Syrian 
Bishops  unanimously  declared  that  they  saw  no  real  difference  between  the 
Syrian  and  Western  belief — that  it  was  a  mere  logomachy — and  that  they 
were  ready  to  assent  to  and  affirm  the  Western  tenet  as  their  own,  and  to 
enter  into  intercommunion,  so  far  as  this  was  concerned,  with  the  Western 
Church.  No  other  difficulty,  they  thought,  remained  with  regard  to  the 
Church  of  England  and  our  own  ;  but  as  for  the  Latin,  they  could  not 
acknowledge  the  Supremacy  of  the  Pope.  This  is  only  one  case  out  of 
perhaps  fifty  which  I  have  been  acquainted  with,  all  which  seemed  to 
reach  the  same  conclusion.  I  say,  then,  that  there  is  great  reason  to 
believe  that  the  Syrians  do  not  in  reality  differ  from  us  on  the  nature  of 
Christ ;  and  I  may  add,  that  the  voice  of  history,  to  any  one  who  will 
carefully  consider  the  circumstances  attending  the  separation  in  Syria  sub- 
sequent to  the  Fourth  General  Council,  must,  I  think,  speak  the  same  lan- 
guage. [Upon  the  historical  argument,  however,  I  cannot  here  enter.]1  But, 
6.  The  Syrian  Church  rejects  and  condemns  the  Fourth  Ecumeni- 
cal Council,  and  also  Leo,  the  Bishop  of  Rome,  whose  Epistle  was  ap- 
proved by  the  Council.  Every  Syrian  Bishop,  at  his  consecration,  is 

1)  This  nrgumont  is  given  in  the  work  from  which  th«  prMont  pxtract  is  taken. 


PREFACE.  IX 

required  to  anathematize  both  him  and  the  Council.  They  also  defend 
Dioscorus,  who  was  condemned  by  the  Council,  but  not  Eutyches,  as  I 
have  said,  nor  his  heresy.  These  they  reject  as  strongly  and  clearly  as 
the  Council  itself.  Why,  then,  do  they  not  receive  the  Council  nor  its 
Decrees  ?  The  reason,  they  say,  is  because  it  acted  unjustly  and  violently 
towards  Dioscorus,  who,  they  affirm,  did  not  hold  the  heresy  of  Eutyches  ; 
and  they  condemn  Leo  because,  as  they  say,  he  was  the  principal  insti- 
gator of  the  proceeding  against  Dioscorus.  Yet  they  do  not  pretend  to 
defend  Dioscorus  in  his  violent  and  intemperate  proceedings  at  the  Pseudo- 
Council  of  Ephesus,  A.  D.  449.  They  do  not  approve  of  that  Council 
nor  the  object  of  Dioscorus  in  obtaining  it,  which  was  to  effect  a  reversal 
of  the  sentence  against  Eutyches,  passed  by  the  Council  convened  in  Con- 
stantinople the  preceding  year.  They  do  not  agree  with  Dioscorus  in 
his  defence  of  Eutyches,  but  they  affirm  that  he  did  not  hold  the  same 
doctrine  with  Eutyches,  and  that  the  action  of  the  Council  of  Chalcedon 
against  him  was  excessively  severe  and  unjust,  since  not  for  clear  heresy, 
but  for  a  mere  act  of  imprudence,  which  they  also  acknowledge  him 
to  have  been  guilty  of,  he  was  condemned  and  deposed  by  a  General 
Council. 

The  Syrian  rejection  of  the  Council,  therefore,  does  not  imply  a  dere- 
liction from  the  faith,  but  rather  (may  we  not  hope  ?)  a  mere  dissatisfac- 
tion with  the  Synod  for  certain  alleged  improprieties  in  its  action,  while 
they  agree  with  the  Synod  in  the  main  object  of  its  proceedings  and  in 
the  main  action  itself,  which  was  the  condemnation  of  Eutyches.  The 
Syrian  Bishops  before  referred  to,  entirely  approved  the  declaration  of  faith 
put  forth  by  the  Council,  and  were  willing,  after  reading  it,  (they  had 
never  seen  it  or  heard  of  it  before,)  to  declare  their  assent  to  it,  and  also 
to  recognize  the  Council,  with  a  single  salvo  concerning  the  treatment  of 
Dioscorus.  •  The  Syrians,  I  may  add,  receive,  without  any  exception,  the 
first  three  General  Councils  of  Nice,  Constantinople,  and  Ephesus,  and  the 
several  minor  Councils  approved  by  the  Council  of  Chalcedon.  They 
have  also,  and  use  daily,  the  Nicene  Creed,  and  acknowledge  the  Apos- 
tolical Constitutions  and  Canons.  What  more  can  we  ask  1 

But  I  must  conclude.  On  such  a  subject  as  this  my  every  feeling 
prompts  me  to  speak  with  diffidence  and  caution.  I  have  no  wish  for 
hurried  or  forced  amalgamations.  I  have  no  desire  to  depart  one  step 
from  the  position — the  truly  Catholic  position — which  our  Church  main- 
tains. But  is  there  nothing  in  all  this  to  inspire  hope  1  May  we  not 
with  brighter  confidence  look  forward  to  the  day  when  strifes  shall  be 
healed,  and  when  the  mystical  Body  of  our  Blessed  Saviour,  now  rent. 


X  PREFACE. 

distracted,  torn,  shall  be  again  united  in  all  its  parts,  and  growing  up  into 
Him  in  all  things,  shall  make  its  increase  to  the  edifying  of  itself  in  love?1 
Come,  oh  come,  that  glorious  day,  when  animosities  shall  cease  and  faith 
shall  revive,  when  the  love  of  many  that  has  waxed  cold  shall  burn  again, 
and  truth,  pure  as  she  came  from  the  Apostles'  hands,  shall  unite  us  once 
more  in  the  "  Apostles'  doctrine  and  fellowship."*  Amen  and  Amen. 

1)  Eph.  iv.  15,  16.  V)  Acts.  ii.  42. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

Passage  to  Trebizond. — Credentials. — Unity  of  the  Church. — Trans- 
lations of  the  Prayer  Book. — Their  Utility. — Increase  of  Steam 
Navigation. — Its  Moral  Consequences. — The  Conservative  Influ- 
ence of  Mohammedanism  on  Christianity. — Increase  of  Infidelity. 
—  Our  Duty. —  Trebizond. —  Bouyouroultous. —  Ecclesiastics. — 
Turkish  Reform. — Mohammedan  Bigotry. — The  Greeks. — Rela- 
tions of  the  Clergy  to  Improvement. — Their  proper  Position. — 
Greek  and  Roman  Churches  Compared. — Means  of  a  peaceful 
Reformation, 13 

CHAPTER  II. 

Departure  from  Trebizond. — Greek  Bishop. — Timidity  of  the  Clergy. 
— Monastery  of  St.  Mary. — Monasteries  in  Turkey. — Their  State. 
— Decline  of  Monasticism. — Character  of  the  Monks. — Religious 
Retreats. — Mountain  Scenery. — Parting  from  the  Bishop. — Local 
Associations. — The  Ancient  Population. — Remnants  of  Christian- 
ity.— Mussulman  Descendants  from  Christians. — Languages. — 
Natural  Bridge. — Mountain  Passage. — Company  at  a  Khan. — 
Gumush  Khaneh. — Its  Christians. — Posting. — Routes. — Change 
of  Route,  .  : :  .  .  26 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  Road.— The  Osmanlees  and  the  Turks.— Sunset  Scene.— The 
Ayan's  Palace. — Reception. — Lesson  on  Hospitality. — Repose  in 
a  Village. — Kara  Hissar. — Its  Ancient  Citadel. — Preparations  for 
a  Journey. — The  Plain  of  Ashkar. — Ancient  Remains. — The 
Greek  Population  of  the  Interior. — Face  of  the  Country. — The 
Day's  Stage.— The  Armenians. — Their  Dispersion. — National 
Character. — Their  Church. — Its  Changes. — Its  present  State. — 
Its  Necessities,  .  .  .  .37 


XII  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

PAGE 

The  Ayan  of  Edrenes. — The  Church  of  Edrenes. — Churches  in  Tur- 
key.— Contrast  with  Mosqu  — Armenian  Churches  described. — 
Altars. — The  Font. — Women's  Place. — Paintings. — The  design 
of  Pictures  in  Eastern  Churches. — The  Greek. — The  Armenian. 
— Origin  of  Picture  Worship  in  them. — Present  State. — Their 
Testimony  upon  the  Subject. — The  Greek. — The  Armenian. — 
The  Syrian. — The  Nestoiian. — Bearing  of  the  Testimony  upon 
the  subject  of  Picture  Worship. — Importance  of  studying  the  East- 
ern Churches  for  the  sake  of  their  Testimony. — The  Steadfast- 
ness of  the  Eastern  Christians  in  maintaining  their  Confession  of 
Christianity. — The  Cause. — Their  low  Estimate  of  it  practically. 
— Our  Duty  to  them,  ........  47 

CHAPTER  V. 

Departure  from  Edrenes. — Armenian  Monastery. — The  Road. — 
Kurdish  Tents.— The  Occupants.— Kurdish  Chief.— His  Recep- 
tion,— His  Life. — Presents  in  the  East. — Eastern  Character. — 
Famine. — Espionage. — Emigrants. — Turkish  Policy. — The  Road. 
— Dangers. — How  to  be  met, 59 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Conflict  with  the  Post-Master  at  Sivas. — Departure  from  Sivas. — 
Escape  of  the  Guide. — The  Escort. — Day's  March  over  an  infest- 
ed District. — Hassan  Tchelebi. — The  Kizzelbashes. — Travelling 
by  Night. — Reflections. — The  Euphrates. — Evils  resulting  from 
Changes  of  Rulers. — Kharpout.— First  Sight  of  the  Syrians. — Ar- 
menian Monasteries. — Syrian  Bishop. — The  Syrian  Population  of 
Kharpout, 71 

CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Village  of  Merizah. — Population  of  Syrians  — Change  of  Cli- 
mate.— Day  of  Preparation. — Kharpout. — The  Town. — Churches. 
— Fortress. — The  Syrian  Church  of  Kharpout.— The  Court. — 
The  Interior.— Pictures.— Miracles.—  The  Altar.—  The  Bishop's 
Chair.— The  Font.— The  Books.— Origin  of  the  Church.— Its 
History. — The  Priest. — Journey  resumed. — Place  of  Pilgrimage. 
— Fish. — Incident  with  a  Christian. — Argana  Maden. —  Passage 
of  the  Taurus. — Famine. — Dangers. — Preparations. — New  Com- 
panion.— The  Tatar. — The  Monastery. — Report  concerning  it. 
— Death  Abroad, 82 


CONTENTS.  Xiii 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

PAGE 

Departure  from  Argana. — Our  Company. — The  Desert  by  Night. 
— Meeting  with  Kurds. — Hostile  Preparations. — The  Event. — 
Repose  on  the  Grass. — Famine. — First  Impressions. — Scenes  from 
the  Famine. — Causes  of  it. — A  Feast. — Hard  Drinking. — Hard- 
ness of  Heart. — Outrage  upon  the  Christians. — Mussulman  Big- 
otry.— Justice  in  Turkey, 93 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Respect  for  Franks. — Interposition  in  behalf  of  Eastern  Christians. 
— Greek  Hospitality. — Visits  from  Ecclesiastics. — Relations  of 
the  Native  Papal  Christians  with  Rome. —  Meeting  with  an  old 
Friend. — False  Reports  and  true  Reports. — Our  Company. — Kurd- 
ish Village. — Escort. — Kurdish  Bey. — Polite  Robbery. — A  use- 
ful Lesson. — Loose  Friends. — Delays. — Present  State  of  Mardin. 
— Decay. — Reaction  of  Reform, 105 

CHAPTER  X. 

Preparation  for  the  Desert. — A  sad  Tale.— -  Arab  Village. — Scene  at 
Evening.— Our  Company. — The  Desert  at  Night. — Nisibin,  site 
of  ancient  Nisibis. — Its  present  State. — Guard. — Route  over  the 
Desert. — The  Orphan. — Moral  Effects  of  the  Famine. — Indiffer- 
ence of  the  Governors. — Journey  by  Night. — Depredations  on  the 
Villagers.— Search  for  Water.— Salt  Lake.— The  Heat,  .  .116 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Encampment  at  Night. — Boar  Chase. — Repast. — Night  March. — 
Search  for  Water. — The  Sinjar  Mountains. — Conflagration. — 
Sudden  Departure. — The  Gazelle. — Robber's  Watch  Height. — 
Camel  caught. — Road  lost. — Peasants. — Their  Timidity. — Its 
Cause. — Abou  Maria. — Retrospect. — Last  Day. — Reception  in 
a  Sheikh's  Tent.— Reach  the  Tigris.— A  Nap.— The  City,  .  125 

CHAPTER  XII. 

The  English  Church  at  Mossoul. — State  of  the  Christians. — Divi- 
sions.— State  of  Learning. — The  Nestorian  and  Chaldean 
Churches. — History  of  their  Separation. — Subjection  of  the  latter 
to  the  Pope. — The  Nature  of  Romish  Innovations,  .  .  .  135 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  X1I1. 

PAGE 

The  Tomb  of  Daniel. — The  Population  of  Mossoul. — Syrian  Villages 
near  Mossoul. — Localities  of  the  Syrian  Population. — Reflections 
on  my  Work. — Opposition  of  Papists. — Their  Treatment  of  us. — 
Need  of  a  distinctive  Presentation  of  the  Church. — Departure  from 
Mossoul. — Self-Denial  in  the  Missionary  Work.— The  Pasha  of 
Mossoul. — His  Expedition  against  the  Arabs. — Preparation  for 
the  Journey. — The  Plain  of  Nineveh. — The  Tomb  of  the  Prophet. 
— The  Fast  of  Nineveh  in  the  Nestorian  and  Chaldean  Churches. 
— Telkef. — Monasteries  of  Raban  Hormisd  and  St.  Matthew. — 
El  Kosh,  Birthplace  of  Nahum,  the  Prophet. — Comparison  of 
Christians  and  Mohammedans. — Yezidees. — Arab  Village. — Ar- 
rival at  Zakho, 147 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Zakho. — Its  District. — Taxes. — Evils  of  the  Farming  System. — Call 
from  the  Agha. — A  young  Syrian. — Bankers. — Presents. — Guard. 
— Provincial  Quarrels. — Bridge  over  the  Khabour. — Fording  a 
River  by  Night. — Chaldean  Village. — Reception  at  Night. — 
Sleeping  on  Roofs. — Hadid. — Bitouna. — The  Province  of  Jezireh. 
— Its  Government  compared  with  that  of  Mossoul. — Harvest. — 
Chaldean  and  Nestorian  Villages. — Town  of  Jezireh. — Reshid  Pa- 
sha and  his  Wars. — Attack  on  Jezireh. — Crossing  the  Tigris  on  a 
Raft. — A  Chaldean  Host  and  Hostess. — Description  of  Jezireh. — 
Chaldean  Bishop. — Chaldean  and  Nestorian  Population  of  the 
Province. — Nestorian  Bishop. — Syrian  Bishop. — Papal  Proselyt- 
ism,  .  162 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Troubles  in  the  Tour  Dagh. — Change  of  Route. — The  Churches  of 
Jezireh. — The  Chaldean  Church. — Conversation  with  the  Priest. 
— His  Idea  of  the  English  Church. — Romish  Falsehoods. — The 
Church. — Its  Interior. — Quarrel  in  the  Church-yard. — The  Syri- 
an Church Its  School. — On  the  Mode  of  Circulating  the  Holy 

Scriptures. — Evening  Prayers. — Talk  in  the  Evening  on  Oppres- 
sion and  Proselytism. — Departure  from  Jezireh. — Death  of  a  Mis- 
sionary in  the  Desert. — Kargo. — Haznaour. — The  Syrians  of  the 
Desert. — The  Bigamist. — His  Excommunication. — Tediousness  of 
Travelling  over  a  Desert. — The  Church  of  St.  James  at  Nisibis. — 
Dara. — Its  Ancient  State. — Survey  of  its  Ruin§  — Its  Inhabitants. 


CONTENTS.  XV 

PAGE 

— Road  to  Kherin. — Ancient  Tombs. — Reception  at  Kherin. — 
The  Value  of  Selfish  Friendship. — Departure. — Sight  of  Der  Za- 
fran. — Its  Position. — Arrival  at  its  Gate,  .  .  .  .  .174 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Reception  at  Der  Zafran. — Interview  with  the  Patriarch. — Bishop 
Matthew. — Second  Interview. — Abyssinian  Monk. — Syrian  Mon- 
asteries.— Schools. — Hours  of  Prayers. — Fasts. — Clerical  Celibacy. 
— Sunday  Service. — Picture  Worship. — Compline. — Vespers,  .  194 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Visit  to  Mardin. — The  Road. — Church  of  Mar  Behnam. — Altars. — 
Baptistry. — Churches  of  Mar  Shimon  and  Mar  Michael. — Legend 
of  Mar  Michael. — Mar  Behnam,  his  Conversion  and  Fate. — 
Population  of  Mardin. — The  Governor. — Dialogue  on  Fasting. — 
Conversation  on  the  Procession  of  the  Holy  Ghost. — The  Syrian 
Patriarchs. — Their  Number. — "  Church  Annals." — Passages  from 
them. — Topics  of  Conversation  at  the  Monastery. — Misrepre- 
sentations of  the  Western  Reformed  Churches. — Their  Source. — 
Character  and  Object  of  Romish  Efforts  among  the  Eastern  Church- 
es.— Our  Position  with  relation  to  them. — The  Church  of  Eng- 
land.— How  misunderstood. — Confounded  with  Errors  which  she 
rejects. — Her  Proper  Mission. — The  Library  of  Der  Zafran. — The 
Chapel  of  St.  Peter. — Altar  Stone  from  an  Ancient  Church  at 
Antioch. — The  Bell. — Conversations  on  the  Nature  of  Christ. — 
Visitors. — Character  of  Discussions  at  the  Monastery. — Our  true 
Position.— Differences.— Our  Duty, 214 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Leaving. — Change  of  Route. — Farewell  to  the  Patriarch. — Ride  to 
Mardin. — Illness. —  Let^rs. —  Popish  Intrigues. —  Continued  Ill- 
ness.— Transfer  of  Jezireh  to  the  Pashalic  of  Mossoul. — Romish 
Arguments. — Syrian  Generosity. — Intrigue  Defeated. — New  Ser- 
vant.— Fever  and  Ague. — Mussulmans  at  Church. — The  Cross, 
how  regarded  by  Mohammedans. — Use  of  the  Sign  of  it  among 
the  Christians, 232 


XVI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

PAGE 

First  day's  Journey. — Visit  to  the  Patriarch  Elect. — Regulations  con- 
cerning the  building  of  Churches  in  Turkey. — English  Churches. 
— The  Patriarch  Elect. —  Pigeon  Houses. —  Diarbekir. —  The 
Church  of  St.  Mary. — Visitors. — Fever  and  Ague  on  Horseback. — 
Sleeping  in  the  Field. — A  Kind  Mussulman. — Trouble  at  the 
Ferry. — A  hospitable  Kizzilbash. — Visions  of  Home. — Warren 
Hastings. — C.  J.  Rich- — Sivas, 243 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Leave  Sivas. —  Armenian  Monastery. —  Entrance  to  Tocat.  — 
Trouble  with  a  Post-master. — Expense  of  Travelling  in  Tur- 
key.— Henry  Martyn. — His  Grave. — Mussulmans  of  Tocat. — The 
Mosques  and  Medressehs. — Mecca. — The  Armenians  of  Tocat. — 
Their  Church. — Other  Christians. — The  Jews. — Serious-minded 
Christians. —  Evil  of  the  Church  Services  being  unintelligible. — 
Objections  to  translations  for  Public  Use. —  Turkish '  Honesty. — 
Effects  of  Disease. — Leave  Tocat. — Guard-House,  .  .  .255 

CHAPTER  XXL 

Amasieh. — Incident  at  a  Mosque. — Medresseh. — Mosque  of  Bay- 
azid. — Mussulman  School. — The  Christians. — Population  of  the 
Oriental  Christians. — Leave  Amasieh. — Ladik. — Singular  Sights. 
— How  to  act  in  Doubts. — Interposition  of  Providence. — Last 
Stage. —  Arrival  at  Samsoun. —  Steamer. —  Kindness  of  new 
Friends. — Constantinople. — Quarantine. — Obligations  to  Dr.  John 
Davy.— Narrow  Escape.— The  End, 265 


NARRATIVE. 


CHAPTER    I. 

Passage  to'  Trebizond. — Credentials. — Unity  of  the  Church. — Transla- 
tions of  the  Prayer  Book. — Their  Utility. — Increase  of  Steam  Naviga- 
tion.—  Its  Moral  Consequences. — The  Conservative  Influence  of 
Mohammedanism  on  Christianity. — Increase  of  Infidelity. — Our  Duty. 
— Trebizond. —  Bouyouroultous. —  Ecclesiastics. —  Turkish  Reform. — 
Mohammedan  Bigotry. — The  Greeks. — Relations  of  the  Clergy  to 
Improvement. — Their  proper  Position. — Greek  and  Roman  Churches 
Compared. — Means  of  a  peaceful  Reformation. 

I  LEFT  Constantinople  on  the  7th  of  May,  1841,  in  the 
Austrian  steamer  Metternich,  Capt.  Clicien.  On  account 
of  delay  in  visiting  a  steamer  which  had  run  upon  the  rocks 
near  Amastra,  a  small  town  on  the  shore,  we  did  not  reach 
Sinope  till  the  9th.  On  the  evening  of  the  same  day  we 
touched  at  Samsoun,  and  arrived  at  Trebizond  on  the  10th. 

I  had  supplied  myself  with  proper  translations  of  the  cre- 
dentials which  I  had  received  from  my  own  Diocesan,  the 
Right  Reverend  Benjamin  T.  Onderdonk,  D.  D.,  Bishop  of 
New- York,  and  from  the  Presiding  Bishop,  the  Right  Rev- 
erend Alexander  V.  Griswold,  D.  D.  By  the  first  I  was  com- 
mended to  the  Bishops  and  clergy  of  the  countries  in  which 
I  was  to  travel,  and  by  the  second  was  faithfully  instructed 

2 


14  VISIT    TO    THE 

as  to  the  rules  and  principles  which  should  govern  me  in  my 
intercourse  with  the  Eastern  Christians.  "  In  the  intercourse 
or  correspondence  which  may  be  allowed  you  with  the 
Bishops  and  other  ecclesiastical  authorities,  be  careful  to 
state  explicitly  what  are  our  views,"  &c.,  "  that  we  would 
scrupulously  avoid  all  offensive  intrusion  within  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  our  Episcopal  brethren,  nor  would  we  intermeddle 
in  their  Church  affairs.  Our  great  desire  is  to  commence 
and  to  promote  a  friendly  intercourse  between  the  tvro 
branches  [Eastern  and  Western]  of  the  one  Catholic  and 
Apostolic  Church  ;  to  impart  to  our  brethren  in  that  country 
any  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures  and  of  the  doctrines  of 
Christ,  which,  through  the  Lord's  goodness,  we  may  have 
obtained,  and  gladly  to  receive  any  such  light  from  them. 
We  would  unite  hand  in  hand  with  them,  in  the  great  and 
noble  work  of  extending  the  Redeemer's  Kingdom,  and 
saving  the  souls  of  men." 

Thus  wrote  the  venerable  Presiding  Bishop,  now  gone 
to  his  rest.  May  his  words  of  wisdom  sink  deep  into  our 
hearts,  and  be  as  a  light  and  beacon  to  our  path  !  The  reader 
will  see,  as  we  advance,  that  my  constant  aim  has  been  to 
act  in  the  spirit  of  this  paternal  counsel,  which  my  own 
humble  experience  has  taught  me  to  be  the  words  of  truth 
and  soberness. 

Hardly  less  animating  was  the  language  of  another,  now 
holding  high  office  in  the  Church,1  with  which  he  cheered 
the  hour  of  my  departure  from  my  native  land.  "But  who 
realizes  this  truth  [of  the  Church's  unity]  in  its  just  magni- 
tude? Isolated  in  little  and  often  hostile  clusters,  the 
Bishops  of  the  one  Church  Catholic  are  known  only  as  offi- 
cers of  their  distinct  communions,  many  almost  as  the  winds 
of  heaven  or  the  climes  they  blow  upon Yet  they  are 

1  The  Right  Reverend  W.  R.  Whittinghnm,  D.  D.,  Bishop  of  Mary- 
land. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  15 

one — as  a  tree  is  one  with  its  thousands  of  leaves  of  divers 
magnitudes  and  colors,  and  many  branches,  some  crooked 
and  some  dead,  yet  all  parts  of  the  same  one  tree,  and  all,  as 
parts  of  it,  still  one  with  each  other.  The  original  mission, 
as  in  the  tree  the  sap  vessel  from  the  root,  is  still  propa- 
gated in  the  various  branches,  and  though  in  some  little 
or  no  vital  juice  may  flow,  connects  them  with  the  Fountain 
and  makes  them  one  in  Him. 

ONE  IN  HIM  !  There  is  the  life  and  power  of  the  truth 
which  I  rejoice  that  we  are  beginning  in  some  faint  degree 
to  realize.  One  in  Him,  our  invisible  and  ascended  Head  ! 
His  word  made  us  one.  His  word,  whether  we  will  or  no, 

still  keeps  us  one Let  us  go,  then,  to  seek  Him  and  point 

Him  out  to  those  among  the  walks  concealed.  Their  loss  is 
ours ;  for  while  they  make  no  returns  of  love  and  zeal  to 
the  common  stock,  we  suffer  by  its  want.  Our  faith  dwin- 
dles by  their  ignorance  and  deadness.  The  props  of  our 
common  home  and  shelter  rot  and  fall  away  by  their  negli- 
gence and  corruption." 

With  these  animating  counsels  I  took  my  departure.  I 
had  also  with  rne  a  few  copies  of  the  Arabic  translation  of  the 
Prayer  Book,  intending  thereby,  when  occasion  offered,  to 
make  known  the  doctrines,  ritual  and  worship  of  my  Church. 
And  I  may  here  say  that  I  found  it  of  the  greatest  service  for 
the  purpose,  presenting  as  it  does  in  a  single  view  the 
order  of  our  Ministry,  the  administration  of  the  Sacraments, 
the  Fasts  and  Festivals,  and  the  daily  Service  of  the  Church.1 

1  This  translation  was  prepared  and  published  at  the  expense  of  the 
Society  for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge,  and  is  one  of  the  many  no- 
ble monuments  of  their  zeal  for  the  cause  of  the  Church  and  the  truth. 
Other  translations,  in  most  of  the  Eastern  languages,  are  rapidly  follow- 
ing. The  good  which  they  are  calculated  to  accomplish,  in  setting  forth 
the  Church  in  its  true  character,  in  correcting  the  gross  misrepresenta- 
tions and  slanders  which  have  been  circulated  with  regard  to  it,  in  pre- 
senting a  branch  of  the  Universal  Church  Primitive  in  its  Doctrines,  its 


16  VISIT    TO    THE 

In  my  passage  to  Trebizond  I  was  much  struck  with  the 
increase  of  steam  navigation  in  these  countries  since  1836. 
There  was  then  only  one  steamer  to  Trebizond  ;  there  are 
now  four,  while  new  lines  have  connected  the  capital  with 
Greece,  Malta,  Italy,  Austria,  France,  England,  Egypt  and 
Syria,  to  and  from  all  which  countries  the  traveller  can  go 
and  come  the  whole  way  by  steam,  and  the  Atlantic  packets 
extend  the  line  unbroken  to  the  continent  of  America.  • 

The  moral  consequences  of  this  linking  together  of  the 
Eastern  and  Western  World,  no  human  conception  can 
fully  calculate.  The  Ottomans  behold  in  it  an  example  of 
European  activity  and  industry  of  which  they  had  no  idea. 
They  must  awake  to  an  imitation  of  it,  or  the  commerce  and 
resources  of  their  country  will  pass  into  other  hands.  The 
Christian  population  are  already  awake.  They  see  in  it  a 
new  bond  of  union  with  the  nations  of  Europe.  The  ties 
of  a  common  religion  are  beginning  to  be  felt.  An  earnest 
desire  for  European  protection  every  where  prevails.  East- 
ern Christians  are  now  wishing  for  their  nations  what  in- 
dividuals have  long  sought  for  themselves, — the  aid  and 
oversight  of  foreign  Christian  powers.  The  events  of  the 
late  war  with  Egypt,  the  ease  and  celerity  with  which  the 
power  of  a  Pasha,  whose  name  has  been  as  terrible  in  the 
East  as  Napoleon's  once  was  in  Europe,  was  destroyed  by 
a  few  ships  and  a  fragment  of  an  army  from  abroad,  have 
produced  a  deep  and  even  an  extravagant  impression  of 
European  skill  and  power.  They  have  created  a  new  de- 
Ministry,  and  its  Rites,  yet  pure  and  uncorrupted,  and  in  imparting 
sound  and  valuable  religious  instruction,  can  hardly  be  estimated  too 
highly.  They  are  the  first  step  towards  a  better  understanding,  a  deeper 
interest,  and  a  holier  influence.  The  good  which  they  have  already  done, 
under  my  own  observation,  is  an  ample  return  for  all  the  labor  and  ex- 
pense of  preparing  them.  The  Society  is  preparing  translations  into  the 
following  Oriental  languages — Greek,  Arabic,  Turkish,  Am  hark,  or  mod- 
em Ethiopian,  and  Armenian. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  17 

sire  to  have  that  skill  and  power  enlisted  in  their  behalf. 
The  course  of  things  is  onward.  European  nations  will 
become  more  and  more  deeply  interested  in  the  East  by  the 
increase  of  their  trade,  the  colonizing  of  their  people  in  the 
marts  of  Turkey,  and  the  visits  of  their  men  of  science  and 
religion  to  those  countries.  Gradually,  by  the  gentle  pro- 
gress of  civilization  and  the  arts,  or  more  quickly  by  the 
shock  of  some  sudden  rupture  springing  out  of  the  compli- 
cated relations  of  the  states  of  Europe  with  the  great  Mo- 
hammedan power  of  the  East,  Christianity  will  be  freed 
from  her  bondage  of  centuries,  and  the  light  of  the  West 
will  break  in  upon  the  Oriental  World.  Then  will  the 
Churches  of  the  East,  remaining  still  in  their  present  un- 
prepared state,  convulsed  by  the  sudden  blaze  of  free  in- 
quiry and  unregulated  knowledge,  fall  into  pieces,  of  which 
Infidelity  will  seize  a  part,  Popery  a  part,  Protestantism  a 
part,  and  a  part  will  remain,  the  only  surviving  relic  of  the 
ancient  Church  of  Christ  in  the  East.  The  work  of  Mo- 
hammedanism is  but  imperfectly  understood.  Its  influence 
is  not  altogether  destructive ;  it  is  in  a  measure  preserva- 
tive. While  it  degrades  Christianity,  it  preserves  it  from 
unbelief  and  schism.  The  Church  of  Rome  has  found  in 
it  the  greatest  opponent  of  her  designs  upon  the  Eastern 
Churches.  The  Turkish  government  has  always  looked 
with  disfavor  upon  the  attempts  to  seduce  its  subjects  to  a 
foreign  ecclesiastical  allegiance,  and  now  secession  is  abso- 
lutely prohibited.1  In  like  manner,  the  spirit  of  Moham- 
medanism is  averse  to  the  free  introduction  of  foreign  sci- 

1  About  eight  years  ago  the  Armenian  Patriarch  obtained  from  the 
Porte  a  firman,  requiring  that  every  Christian  should  remain  in  the  com- 
munion to  which  he  belonged.  The  design  of  the  firman  was  to  prevent 
secessions  from  the  Armenian  Church  to  the  Latin,  but  in  a  very  recent 
instance,  within  my  own  knowledge,  another  community  of  Christians 
have  availed  themselves  of  its  provisions,  to  force  back  certain  of  their 
members  who  had  seceded  to  Rome. 


18  VISIT    TO    THE 

ence,  and  thus,  it  has  prevented  those  inroads  of  infidelity 
which  commonly  follow  upon  a  merely  secular  civilization. 
The  truth  of  this  remark  will  be  apparent  if  we  look  at  those 
portions  of  the  Eastern  Churches  which  are  already  deliv- 
ered from  the  sway  of  Islamism,  or  which,  from  their  posi- 
tion, have  felt  something  of  the  influence  of  the  West  upon 
them.  Among  the  Christians  of  Constantinople  infidelity 
has  made  and  is  still  making  rapid  strides,  while  in  the  free 
kingdom  of  Greece  its  progress  is  truly  alarming.  Both 
there  and  here  it  is  directly  traceable  to  a  European  origin. 
It  is  the  result  of  that  fondness  for  Frank  manners,  the 
fashions  and  frivolities  of  Western  life,  and  still  more  that 
corrupt  literature  which  flows  in  through  the  growing  know- 
ledge of  the  French.  If  we  are  under  no  other  obligations 
to  the  Eastern  Christians,  we  are  bound  at  least  to  cleanse 
the  streams  which  are  pouring  in  upon  them  from  our 
Western  world.  If  we-are  not  ready  to  furnish  them  with 
a  sound  religious  literature,  we  are  at  least  obliged  to  pro- 
vide an  antidote  against  those  corrupting  works  which  go 
from  us  to  them.1 

1  Another  cause  of  unbelief  among  the  Eastern  Christians  is  less  di- 
rect, but  equally  effectual,  and  I  fear  even  more  pernicious  in  its  effects 
than  the  other.  It  is,  alas  !  in  the  Churches  themselves.  It  is  the  igno- 
rance, and,  in  some  instances,  the  wickedness  of  the  clergy,  together  with 
the  low  state  of  religion,  both  among  clergy  and  people.  "  Why  should 
I  go  to  Church  ]"  said  a  Greek  to  me  the  other  day  ;  "  the  priests  rob  me 
of  my  money.  I  can  get  nothing  from  them  without  a  fee."  He  was  a 
poor  and  ignorant  man,  but  he  had  learned  to  look  upon  the  whole  busi- 
ness of  public  worship  as  a  mercen^y  system,  supported  by  the  clergy  for 
no  better  end  than  to  sustain  their 'own  influence,  and  extort  money  from 
the  people.  This  kind  of  practical  infidelity  is  perhaps  more  deeply  seated 
and  more  widely  spread,  than  even  the  clergy  themselves  suppose.  In  a 
more  enlightened  mind,  that  is,  in  one  better  instructed  in  human  know- 
ledge, it  takes  another  form.  The  man,  feeling  himself  above  the  super- 
stitions so  common  among  the  multitude,  and  seeing  them  but  too  often 
patronized  by  the  clergy  ;  observing,  too,  the  haste  and  thoughtlessness, 
and  sometimes  the  indecorum  with  which  the  public  services  of  religion 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  19 

But  the  highest  argument  for  a  deep  and  hearty  interest 
in  their  behalf  is  that  to  which  I  have  already  alluded.  They 
are  unprepared  for  the  light  which  is  dawning  upon  them. 
Religious  truth  does  not  keep  pace  with  the  progress  of  civ- 
ilization and  the  influx  of  secular  knowledge.  And  if  the 
time  shall  ever  come,  which  seems  indeed  to  be  rapidly  ap- 
proaching, when  the  opposing  power  of  Mohammedanism 
shall  be  removed,  and  the  flood-gates  of  the  mighty  stream 
which  is  now  rolling  on  from  the  West  shall  be  lifted  up,  it 
will  be  too  late  to  stem  or  guide  the  torrent  which  will  burst 
in  upon  them.  Eastern  Christianity  has  not  (with  sorrow 
we  say  it)  energy  and  life  sufficient  to  purify  the  flood  of 
corrupting  influences  which  such  a  revolution  would  bring 
upon  it.  It  will  be  broken  by  the  force  of  its  irruption,  or 
it  will  sink  beneath  it 

It  is  not,  then,  by  keeping  aloof  from  the  Eastern 
Churches,  as  some  would  seem  to  argue,  but  by  a  wise  and 
active  interference  in  their  behalf,  that  we  are  to  save  them 
from  schism  and  ruin.  No  one  would  deprecate  more  ear- 
nestly than  I  the  adoption  of  a  system  either  for  openly  sub- 
verting or  secretly  undermining  these  venerable  structures 
of  ancient  days,  but  it  is  our  duty  as  faithful  servants  of 
Christ,  as  members  of  a  true  branch  of  His  Holy  Church, 
to  save  them  with  God's  blessing  from  the  destruction  which 
is  hanging  over  them,  to  re-kindle  in  them  the  light  which 
has  become  dim,  and  to  strengthen  the  things  which  remain, 
that  are  ready  to  die.1 

are  performed  ;  at  the  same  time  firmly  believing  with  all  the  national  fer- 
vor of  a  Greek,  that  ao  Church  is  better  than  his  own,  beholding  no  spe- 
cimen of  one  purer  or  more  devout,  and  conceiving  of  Protestantism  as 
a  system  which  degrades  both  the  ministry  and  the  sacraments  of  the 
Church,  comes  at  length  to  look  upon  all  religion  with  contempt,  as  a  mer- 
cenary priestcraft  or  an  empty  form,  unfit  to  hold  the  sway  over  free  and 
cultivated  minds, 

1  Rev.  3  :  2. 


20  VISIT    TO    THE 

I  spent  one  day  at  Trebizond  under  the  hospitable  roof  of 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Johnston,  a  Presbyterian  missionary  of  the 
American  Board.  I  am  also  indebted  to  the  English  Con- 
sul, Mr.  Suter,  for  his  kindness  in  procuring  for  me  a  bou- 
youroultou,  or  provincial  firman,  from  the  Pasha  of  Trebizond, 
the  sameOsman  whom  I  have  described  in  a  former  journey.1 
These  bouyouroultous  are  available  only  for  the  province  in 
which  they  are  given,  and  the  first  duty  of  a  traveller  is  to 
obtain  one  when  he  comes  to  the  seat  of  a  Pasha.  They 
are  worth  more  in  the  interior  than  a  firman  of  the  Sultan, 
for  the  people  and  the  inferior  governors  think  more  of  their 
Pasha  than  of  the  royal  government  at  Constantinople, 
whose  sway  and  influence  they  feel  only  remotely  and  in- 
directly. A  Turk's  patriotism  or  loyalty  is  generally  con- 
fined to  the  village  or  province  to  which  he  belongs.  It  is 
rather  a  love  of  home  than  a  love  of  country.  Of  patriotism 
in  the  last  sense  he  has  hardly  any  idea,  and  his  language 
has  no  word  to  express  it.  The  best,  if  not  the  chief  use  of 
a  royal  firman  in  Turkey,  is  as  a  means  of  obtaining  the 
bouyouroultous  or  passports  of  the  Pashas.  They  dare  not 
refuse  protection  when  they  see  the  royal  cipher. 

Trebizond  is  the  seat  of  a  Greek  Archbishop  and  an  Ar- 
menian Vartabed.2  At  the  time  of  my  visit,  there  was  a 
conspiracy  to  remove  the  latter,  and  a  Committee  had  gone 
to  Constantinople  to  intercede  with  the  Patriarch  for  the  pur- 
pose. The  charge  against  him  was  that  he  had  been  guilty 
of  mal-administration,  especially  in  oppressing  the  poor,  but 
it  was  said  that  others  were  secretly  opposed  to  him  on 

1  Narrative  of  a  Tour,  &c.,  Vol.  I.  p.  153,  Am.  Ed. 

2  The  Vartabeds  among  the  Armenians  are  the  unmarried  priests, 
from  whom  the  Bishops  are  taken.     They  are  almost  precisely  the  same 
with  the  Chor-episcopi  (Xwpeirunroiroi)   or  Country  Bishops  of  antiquity. 
They  are  properly  Presiding  Presbyters,  occupying  the  seats  of  Bishops, 
but  performing  no  offices  distinctively  Episcopal.  They  are  sometimes  over 
single  churches,  and  sometimes  over  districts. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  21 

account  of  his  opposition  to  the  education  of  the  peo- 
pie. 

The  Mussulmans  of  Trebizond  are  of  the  old  school,  and 
virulently  opposed  to  all  innovation.  Though  only  three 
days  distant  from  Constantinople,  no  serious  attempts  at  re- 
form had  been  made  among  them.  The  rulers  said  it  would 
produce  an  insurrection ;  others  said  that  the  rulers  them- 
selves were  opposed  to  it.  The  famous  Khatti  Sherif, 
which  was  hailed  in  Europe  as  the  Magna  Charta  of  Tur- 
key, had  hardly  been  heard  of  in  Trebizond,  and  the  new 
system  of  taxation,  which  was  intended  to  relieve  the  peo- 
ple from  illegal  exactions,  had  never  been  introduced  there. 
This  was  in  a  place  only  three  days'  sail  from  Constantinople. 
One  may  judge  from  it  what  has  been  the  success  of  reform 
in  more  distant  provinces. 

One  or  two  recent  instances  of  Mohammedan  bigotry 
were  related  to  me  by  credible  witnesses.  The  Greek  pop- 
ulation had  undertaken  to  erect  a  Church  on  the  site  of  an 
old  one  in  a  conspicuous  situation,  and  had  obtained  a  fir- 
man for  the  purpose.  The  Turks,  offended,  as  it  was  said, 
at  its  prominence  and  elevation,  took  advantage  of  its  being 
a  foot  or  two  larger  than  the  dimensions  prescribed  in  the 
firman,  and  razed  it  to  the  ground.  The  same  population, 
animated  by  a  laudable  desire  for  improvement,  had  erected 
another  building  which  they  intended  to  make  a  Seminary 
for  Instruction  of  a  high  order.  The  Turks  pretended  that 
it  overlooked  their  houses,  and  pulled  down  the  upper  story 
of  it.  Perhaps  there  was  some  truth  in  the  reason  which 
they  gave,  and  the  jealousy,  universal  among  Orientals,  of 
strangers  looking  into  their  domestic  quarters,  may  really 
have  been  one  motive  for  the  outrage.  But  in  both  cases, 
there  was  evident  that  radical  hatred  of  the  Christians,  that 
jealousy  of  any  improvement  among  them,  that  remorseless 
readiness  to  persecute  them  upon  the  slightest  provocation, 
which  is  still  and  ever  will  be  a  feature  of  Mohammedan 

2* 


VISIT    TO    THE 

character.  Just  in  proportion  that  we  see  it  cease  in  partic- 
ular instances,  we  see  the  character  ceasing  to  be  Moham- 
medan. Where  the  religion  has  its  full  influence,  as  among 
the  religious  orders,  this  spirit  is  in  general  as  rife  as  it  has 
been  since  the  early  ages  of  Islamism,  although  its  develop- 
ments towards  Franks  are  less  bold  and  annoying  than  for- 
merly,— a  change  which  has  arisen  not  from  the  decline  of 
bigotry,  but  from  the  decline  of  Turkish  power,  and  conse- 
quently the  superior  protection  that  Franks  enjoy  from  the 
representatives  of^their  own  governments. 

It  was  pleasant  to  see  the  Greeks  of  Trebizond,  though 
but  a  small  community,  and  laboring  under  the  immense 
disadvantages  to  which  I  have  alluded,  still  alive  to  improve- 
ment. This  is  in  every  situation  one  of  the  best  traits  in 
their  character,  and  one  that  affords  high  encouragement  to 
hope  and  effort  in  their  behalf.  As  a  people  they  have  no 
prejudices  against  education,  but  the  most  earnest  and  ar- 
dent desire  for  it.  The  difficulty  lies  higher  up  among 
the  clergy,  and  there  indeed  it  is  serious  and  urgent.  I 
will  not  at  present  go  into  a  subject  which  will  draw  me  too 
far  from  the  course  of  my  narrative,  but  I  may  say  that  it  is 
altogether  a  narrow  and  partial  view  of  it,  to  suppose  that 
the  apparent  indifference  of  the  Greek  clergy  to  the  improve- 
ment of  their  people,  arises  solely  from  their  opposition  to 
light  and  knowledge.  This,  is  doubtless  true  of  some,  while 
of  others  it  is  the  very  opposite  of  truth.1  Many  other 
causes  combine  to  produce  the  same  result.  The  too  gen- 
eral ignorance  of  the  clergy,  especially  of  the  priests  to  whom 
the  care  of  the  people  is  most  immediately  committed;  the 
influence  of  Mohammedanism  in  depressing  the  energy  of 

1  The  late  Patriarch,  for  instance,  was  a  man  of  just  and  elevated 
views  with  regard  to  the  education  both  of  the  clergy  and  laity.  He  had 
in  hand,  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1842,  extensive  plans  of  usefulness, 
which  might  have  resulted  in  great  and  lasting  good,  if  his  own  career 
had  not  been  suddenly  terminated. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  23 

the  clergy  and  intimidating  them  into  inaction,  the  want  of 
unity  and  mutual  confidence  among  the  Bishops,  are  all 
powerful  causes  of  the  supineness  which  prevails.  At  the 
same  time  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  there  appears  in 
some  an  evident  unwillingness  that  the  people  should  be  in- 
structed, especially  in  religious  things — a  fear  that  it  may 
tend  to  depreciate  the  influence  of  the  clergy — and  a  con- 
sciousness that  it  might  strike  a  blow  at  the  corruptions  of 
the  Church,  which  are  patronized  more  for  their  lucrative- 
ness  than  for  any  serious  attachment  to  them.  The  policy 
is  a  suicidal  one;  for  while  the  clergy  sleep  or  oppose, 
knowledge  is  coming  in,  mere  secular  knowledge  unregu- 
lated by  religious  teaching;  the  people  learn  more  and  more 
to  look  upon  the  clergy  with  contempt ;  infidelity  increases  ; 
the  priests  regard  the  new  learning  with  aversion,  thinking 
it  to  be  the  cause  of  the  evil,  which  nevertheless  their  own 
exertions,  the  proper  exercise  of  the  duties  of  their  office, 
might  have  prevented,  and  the  people  look  upon  them  for 
their  opposition,  as  the  foes  of  learning,  the  abettors  of  igno- 
rance and  superstition.  The  greatest  benefit  that- could 
now  be  bestowed  on  the  Greek  Church,  would  be  to  con- 
vince the  clergy  of  their  error,  to  show  them  the  fatal  conse- 
quences of  the  course  which  they  are  pursuing,  and  to  lead 
them  to  some  active  effort  for  the  religious  instruction  of  the 
people.  Many  will  doubt  whether  this  can  be  accomplish- 
ed, whether  many  of  them  are  not  too  strongly  wedded  to 
their  system  to  abandon  it  for  one  which  will  lead  them 
into  a  path  that  can  only  end  in  the  removal  of  the  existing 
corruptions,  in  a  thorough  change  of  the  spirit  and  practice 
of  the  Church.  But  it  must  come  to  this,  that  the  clergy 
must  take  the  lead  in  reforming  abuses,  or  at  least  put 
themselves  into  a  line  which  will  ultimately  bring  them  to 
it;  or  they  must  expect  to  see  the  evil  consequences  of  their 
neglect,  in  a  widely  spreading  unbelief  on  the  one  hand, 
and  a  deadly  schism  on  the  other.  There  is  no  other  alter- 


24  VISIT    TO    THE 

native.  Knowledge  will  come,  is  coming.  It  will  increase 
more  and  more.  No  human  power  can  prevent  it ;  and  if 
they  will  not  regulate  it,  correct  it  by  sound  religious  teach- 
ing, it  will  overthrow  them.  It  will  be  in  the  East  as  it 
was  in  the  West,  contentions  and  divisions  in  the  Church, 
separations  from  it,  the  formation  of  names  and  sects. 

But  there  is  good  reason  to  hope  that  an  evil  so  great  in 
itself  may  be  prevented.     The  Greek  Church  is  not  as  was 
the  Church  of  Rome  at  the  time  of  the  Reformation.     It 
does  not  hold  the  same  errors ;  it  is  not  pervaded   by  the 
same  abuses,  or  to  the  same  extent.     It  has  not  the  doctrine 
of  the  Infallibility  of  the  Church,  or  of  the  Papal  supremacy, 
or  of  Transubstantiation  in  a  defined  and  settled  sense,  or 
of  Purgatory,  or  of  the  Mass  in  the  Romish  sense,  or  ofln- 
dulgencies,  or  of  supererogatory  works.    It  has  not  the  prac- 
tices of  Communion  in  one  kind,  or  of  Private  Masses,  or  of 
Clerical  Celibacy,  nor  the  ceremonies  of  Processions,  Adora- 
tion of  the  Host,  elevating  it  and  carrying  it  about,1  which 
in  the  Latin  Church  are  the  adjuncts  if  not  the  consequen- 
ces of  the  doctrine  of  Transubstantiation.     It  does  not  re- 
ceive the  Apocryphal  books  as  canonical,  nor  deny  the  pos- 
sibility  of    Absolution    without    the    intervention    of  the 
Priest,  nor  determine  the  number  of  the  Sacraments  as  sev- 
en ordained  by  Christ,  nor  declare  the  good  intention  of  the 
clergy  necessary  to  a  valid   and  efficacious  administration 
of  them,  nor  prohibit  the  reading  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  to 
the  people,  although  unauthorized,  and,  as  it  was  believed, 

1  There  is  a  procession  in  the  Greek  Church,  during  the  service  of 
the  Holy  Eucharist,  in  which  the  paten  and  cup  are  carried  round  in 
the  church  by  the  priest  and  deacon,  but  it  is  done  before  the  consecration 
of  the  bread  and  wine  ;  and  there  is  an  elevation  of  the  sacred  elements 
after  consecration,  which  is  done  by  the  deacon,  simply  as  an  act  of  invita- 
tion to  the  people,  and  is  accompanied  with  the  words,  "  Draw  near  with 
faith  and  godly  fear."  Both  are  easily  distinguishable  from  the  Romish 
customs  to  which  I  allude. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  25 

sectarian  translations  have  been,  and  are  prohibited,  and 
there  certainly  are  individuals  who  would  restrict  the  read- 
ing of  the  Scriptures  to  the  original  version  of  the  New 
Testament,  and  the  Septuagint. 

We  may  hope,  then,  that  the  Greek  Church  will  rise 
from  its  depressed  condition,  without  the  necessity  of  a  vio- 
lent reformation.  It  certainly  may  so  rise,  if  the  clergy  do 
not  set  themselves  in  opposition  to  knowledge,  and  a  purer 
practice,  if  they  do  not  commit  themselves  to  floating  abuses, 
and  gather  them  up  and  weave  them  into  a  system,  and 
fasten  them  by  creeds  and  canons  upon  the  Church,  as 
Rome  has  done  with  her  corruptions.  It  is  encouraging  to 
know  that  there  are  many,  even  among  the  higher  clergy, 
who  long  for  better  things,  and  their  influence  will  be  the 
more  felt,  the  work  of  restoration  will  be  sooner  and  better 
done,  if  we  of  the  West  do  not  by  our  hasty  zeal  hurry  it 
into  a  rank  and  premature  growth.  If  there  has  been  on  the 
one  hand  much  of  painful  opposition,  there  has  been  on  the 
other  as  much  of  injudicious  action.  Let  us  not  be  high- 
minded,  but  fear. 


VISIT    TO    THE 


CHAPTER    II. 

Departure  from  Trebizond, — Greek  Bishop. — Timidity  of  the  Clergy. — 
Monastery  of  St.  Mary. — Monasteries  in  Turkey. — Their  State. — De- 
cline of  Monasticism. — Character  of  the  Monks. — Religious  Retreats. 
— Mountain  Scenery. — Parting  from  the  Bishop. — Local  Associations. 
— The  Ancient  Population. —  Remnants  of  Christianity. — Mussulman 
Descendants  from  Christians. — Languages. — Natural  Bridge. — Moun- 
tain Passage. — Company  at  a  Khan, — Gumush  Khaneh. — Its  Chris- 
tians.— Posting. — Routes. — Change  of  Route. 

I  LEFT  Trebizond  on  the  12th  of  May,  and  reached  Jev- 
izlik,  a  small  hamlet  on  the  road,  in  six  hours.  On  the 
way  we  overtook  a  Greek  Bishop,  mounted  on  a  slow-paced 
horse,  and  preceded  by  a  servant  carrying  his  silver-headed 
staff.  His  white  beard  and  venerable  appearance  attracted 
my  attention,  and  I  entered  into  conversation  with  him. 
From  my  dress  he  seemed  at  a  loss  to  determine  who  I  was, 
and  answered  my  salutation  with  evident  shyness.  When  I 
told  him  that  I  was  a  Christian,  he  began  to  speak  more 
freely,  and  at  length  run  on  with  all  the  garrulity  of  age. 
He  had  supposed  that  I  might  be  a  Mussulman,  and  hence 
the  timidity  of  his  first  greeting.  I  have  often  witnessed 
the  same  among  the  clergy  of  the  interior,  and  have  as  often 
been  grieved  by  it  as  a  sign  and  token  of  their  state  of 
bondage.  True,  they  are  generally  ignorant,  and  so  far  as 
personal  qualities  are  concerned,  one  can  seldom  find  much 
pleasure  in  their  society.  But  who  can  forget  that  they  are 
the  representatives  of  Christianity,  and  that  they  are  what 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  27 

they  are  for  their  religion's  sake?  Who  can  avoid  a  feeling 
of  indignation  and  sorrow  when  he  sees  their  servile  and 
cringing  demeanor — of  indignation  at  the  tyranny  which 
has  reduced  them  to  such  a  condition,  and  sorrow  at  the 
low  estate  of  Christ's  holy  Church  in  the  land  of  its  captiv- 
ity ?  Alas !  when  shall  the  day  of  its  rising  and  shining  re- 
turn? 

I  soon  proposed  to  leave  the  aged  Bishop,  because  he 
rode  too  slow  for  us.  But  he  demurred,  and  said  that  he 
would  exert  himself  a  little  for  the  sake  of  our  company.  I 
soon  found  that  he  was  the  Superior  of  St.  Mary,  a  monas- 
tery a  few  miles  south  of  Jevizlik.  He  had  been  absent 
some  time  in  Russia  and  was  just  returning.  I  afterwards 
learned  that  he  was  returning  from  exile,  having  been  ban- 
ished by  the  late  Patriarch,  and  now  restored  by  his  suc- 
cessor. 

St.  Mary's  is  only  one  of  three  monasteries  in  this  vicin- 
ity, and  I  remember  having  heard  of  another  near  Trebi- 
zorid.  St.  Mary's  has  fifteen  monks ;  a  year  or  two  before,  it 
had  about  forty ;  another,  called  Hedrilez,  has  twelve  ;  and  a 
third,  called  Khavan,  has,  I  believe,  none.  All  these  monas- 
teries are  immediately  subject  to  the  Patriarch  at  Constanti- 
nople, and  of  course  independent  of  the  Archbishop  of  Trebi- 
zond.  The  same  rule,  so  far  as  I  have  observed,  holds  with 
regard  to  all  the  monasteries,  Greek,  Syrian,  or  Armenian,  in 
the  Empire.  They  are  independent  of  the  Bishop  of  the  Dio- 
cese, excepting  when  he  himself  is  resident  in  one  of  them, 
and  in  this  case  he  is  the  Superior.  The  number  of  monas- 
teries in  the  Empire  is  greatly  diminished  in  late  centuries, 
and  seems  to  be  still  diminishing.  The  causes  have  been 
war,  famine,  civil  oppression,  the  increasing  poverty  and 
decreasing  population  of  the  Christians.  There  is  also 
much  less  zeal  than  formerly  for  the  monastic  life.  There 
are  fewer  disposed  to  enter  it,  and  the  people  are  less  dis- 
posed to  sustain  them  in  it.  This  arises  chiefly  from  the 


28  VISIT    TO    THE 

decline  of  learning  and  piety.  The  monasteries  are  no 
longer  the  chief  seats  of  knowledge,  and  the  fame  of  their 
sanctity  has  departed.  The  people  are  alienated  by  the 
idle  and  sometimes  by  the  wicked  lives  of  the  monks.  But 
this  picture  is  not  universally,  I  am  inclined  to  believe  not 
generally,  true.  Some  of  the  monasteries  are  in  better  re- 
pute both  for  piety  and  learning,  though  none  of  them  are 
distinguished  in  the  latter  particular.  The  monks  are  often 
simple-minded  and  innocent  men,  but  almost  always  narrow 
in  their  views,  their  thoughts  and  their  feelings,  grasping 
no  wide  range  even  of  theological  knowledge,  and  pro- 
foundly ignorant  of  the  world.  They  say  their  prayers,  till 
their  grounds,  eat,  drink,  and  sleep.  A  few  of  the  monas- 
teries have  a  great  reputation  for  sanctity,  not  from  the 
character  of  their  inmates,  but  from  the  possession  of  some 
relic  which  makes  them  places  of  vast  resort.  These  and 
a  few  others  are  rich.  Some  of  them  have  valuable  endow- 
ments of  lands,  which  are  looked  upon  as  the  patrimony  of 
the  Church,  and  a  considerable  portion  of  the  revenues  of 
the  Patriarchs  come  from  them.  Thus  the  Greek  Patri- 
arch of  Constantinople  receives  from  the  monasteries  of 
Wallachia  alone,  the  sum  of  1,500,000  piastres,  or  about 
,£15,000,  annually. 

There  seem  to  have  been  in  former  times  favorite  local- 
ities, chosen  either  from  the  nature  of  the  country,  on  ac- 
count of  the  abundance  of  a  neighboring  population,  or  for 
some  religious  association,  where  monasteries  were  erected 
in  great  number  and  where  the  lonely  ascetic  built  his  retired 
cell.  Such  is  the  country  south  of  Trebizond.  Abounding 
in  the  gifts  of  nature,  covered  with  the  wildest  and  sub- 
limest  scenery,  presenting  here  and  there  lofty  heights  inter- 
spersed with  fruitful  vallies,  it  was  once  the  abode  of  hundreds 
of  those  who  had  retired  from  the  world  to  seek  in  contem- 
plation and  prayer,  and  secret  toil,  a  nearer  access  to  God. 
The  traveller  still  descries  here  and  there,  besides  the  distant 


SYRIAN    CHU1CC1I.  j-iO 

monasteries  whose  place  alone  is  visible,  marked  by  some 
towering  height,  solitary  chapels  perched  on  rugged  points 
of  rock  and  looking.like  the  retreats  of  world-forsaking  her- 
mits. We  noticed  three  of  this  description  during  our  first 
day's  ride,  and  the  Bishop  pointed  out  to  us  a  mountain-peak 
covered  with  snow,  behind  which,  he  said,  was  the  monas- 
tery of  St.  Mary.  The  others  lay,  one  to  the  north,  and  the 
other  to  the  southwest  from  Jevizlik. 

Turning  short  to  the  right  when  we  reached  this  hamlet, 
we  entered  the  valley  of  the  Yer  Keupru  (Earth  Bridge). 
There  are  two  roads,  one  leading  to  the  left  over  the  barren 
heights  of  Kara  Kaban,  the  other  to  the  right  through  the 
valley, — one  the  summer,  the  other  the  winter  road.  As  the 
mountains  were  not  yet  open,  we  chose  the  latter,  which  soon 
led  us  amidst  scenes  of  great  natural  beauty.  The  forest 
trees  were  putting  on  their  new  dress;  and  the  rays  of  the 
sun  darting  through  their  thick  foliage  revealed  to  the  eye 
their  fresh  and  lively  green.  Sometimes  the  lofty  over- 
topping mountains  could  be  descried  through  the  openings 
in  the  woods,  and  at  others  we  plunged  into  cool  and  shaded 
thickets,  enlivened  by  the  music  of  numberless  rills  gushing 
from  the  mountain  side. 

Our  venerable  friend,  the  Bishop,  parted  from  us  at  Je- 
vizlik, where  our  roads  separated.  I  felt  for  a  moment  an 
emotion  of  sadness  as  I  thought  of  the  different  ways  before 
us.  Ere  nightfall  he  would  be  reposing  in  the  quiet  of  his 
monastery ;  while  I  was  just  starting  upon  a  long  and  tedious 
journey,  little  knowing  the  things  that  should  befall  me,  or 
whether  I  should  ever  return.  Basil,  my  Greek  servant  and 
the  only  companion  of  my  journey,  begged  the  good  man  to 
remember  us  in  his  prayers.  He  promised  to  do  so,  and 
commenced  his  kind  offices  by  giving  us  his  benediction  as 
we  parted. 

We  spent  the  night  at  the  little  village  of  Campanos,  or 
perhaps  it  was  only  a  cluster  of  Khans,  for  we  arrived  too 


30  VISIT    TO    THE 

late  and  left  too  early  to  survey  the  place.  More  than  arises 
from  the  beauty  of  Nature's  scenery  is  the  interest  which 
this  region  excites  in  the  traveller's  mind  from  its  association 
with  the  famous  retreat  of  Xenophon,  and  the  romantic  dukes 
of  the  Comneni  driven  from  the  imperial  throne  of  Constan- 
tinople, and  founding  a  new  monarchy  on  the  farther  shores 
of  the  Euxine.  Hardly  less  is  the  interest  which  one  feels 
in  it  as  an  ancient  home  of  the  Greeks.  After  enjoying  all 
the  day  the  thought  of  winding  through  the  same  vallies  by 
which  the  leader  of  the  Ten  Thousand  conducted  his  gal- 
lant band,1  I  could  not  but  inquire  within  myself,  as  we  sat 
down  upon  our  carpets  at  night  before  a  roaring  fire  in  a 
smoke-blackened  khan,  whether  the  two  or  three  rough  fel- 
lows who  were  preparing  our  coffee  or  waiting  to  partake  of 
it,  were  veritable  descendants  of  the  Greeks  of  former  days. 
My  interest  in  them  was  a  little  dampened  by  our  guide's 
coming  in  and  announcing  that  one  of  the  children  who  had 
been  employed  to  lead  about  the  horses,  according  to  the 
eastern  custom  after  a  journey,  had  run  away  with  the  bri- 
dle. I  told  his  father,  who  was  one  of  the  men  present,  of 
his  misdemeanor,  and  saw  with  surprise  the  coolness  with 
which  he  received  the  information  of  his  youthful  son's  de- 
linquency. He  thought  it  strange,  very  strange,  that  the 
boy  should  carry  away  the  bridle,  but  really  he  did  not  be- 
lieve that  we  could  find  him  if  we  should  hunt  for  him. 

It  was  some  consolation  for  the  loss  of  the  bridle  to 
know  that  the  thief  and  the  thief's  father  were  Mussulmans, 
for  though  dishonesty  does  not  look  well  in  any  one,  it 
always  grieves  me  most  to  see  it  in  a  Christian.  It  is  a 
common  saying  among  the  Persians,  that  it  is  right,  lauda- 

1  The  identity  of  the  route  with  that  of  the  Ten  Thousand  was  first 
suggested  to  me  some  years  ago  by  James  Brant,  Esq.,  H.  B.  M.  Consul 
at  Erzroum,  who  well  paid,  th;it  ns  the  army  of  Xenophon  passed  in  win- 
ter, it  could  only  be  by  this  road,  which  is  the  only  one  by  which  Trapo- 
zus  (Trebizond)  is  accessible  at  that  season. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  31 

ble,  and  religious  to  cheat  a  Frank,  because  that  in  this 
way  an  unbeliever  is  injured  and  advantage  comes  to  a  fol- 
lower of  the  true  faith.  Whether  it  was  by  some  such 
logic  as  this,  that  the  Mussulman  at  Campanos  satisfied  his 
conscience  for  the  possession  of  our  bridle,  I  do  not  know, 
but  as  he  appeared  sufficiently  intelligent  in  other  things, 
I  gave  him  a  cup  of  coffee  instead  of  driving  him  away,  and 
gradually  drew  from  him  all  that  he  knew  about  the  coun- 
try. The  people,  he  said,  are  not  of  the  Laz  race,  although 
they  are  often  called  by  that  name.  This  appellation  prop- 
erly belongs  only  to  a  distinct  people  farther  to  the  East, 
who  have  a  language  peculiar  to  themselves,  and  are  heathen. 
Their  tongue  is  not  understood  by  the  people  hereabouts, 
whose  language  is  Greek  and  their  religion  Christianity  or 
Mohammedanism.  The  majority  in  this  immediate  vicinity 
are  Christians,  but  we  may  judge  from  their  having  the 
same  language  with  the  Mussulmans,  that  the  latter  also 
are  descendants  of  the  ancient  Greeks.  The  change  in 
their  religion  is  owing  doubtless  to  the  persecutions  which 
the  Christians  formerly  endured  from  the  Mohammedans,  to 
escape  which  some  abandoned  their  faith  and  embraced  the 
religion  of  their  masters.  The  same  is  true  of  the  Mussul- 
mans in  many  other  parts  of  the  country;  they  are  descend- 
ed from  a  Christian  ancestry,  who  forsook  their  religion  in 
times  of  persecution.  Mussulmans  of  this  sort  often  retain 
not  only  a  traditional  recollection  of  their  ancestors,  but 
even  a  respect  for  the  religion  of  their  fathers,  which  they 
sometimes  carry  so  far  as  to  practise  its  rites.  Thus  the 
Mussulmans  of  Mesopotamia,  many  of  them,  acknowledge 
themselves  to  be  descendants  of  the  old  Assyrian  or  Chal- 
dean Christians,  and  retain  to  this  day  a  reverence  for  the 
ancient  faith.1 

1  There  is  also  a  district  east  of  Trebizond,  where  there  are  one  thou- 
sand families  of  Mussulmans,  who  are  descendants  of  Armenians,  and  still 
speak  their  language. 


32  VISIT    TO    THE 

The  mass  of  the  population  between  Trebizond  and 
Gumush  Khaneh,  appear  to  be  of  the  same  sort, — descend- 
ants of  the  Greek  stock,  though  now  divided  into  Mussul- 
mans and  Christians.  The  effect  of  persecution  is  singu- 
larly visible  in  some  parts  of  the  region,  where  those  who 
profess  to  be  Mussulmans,  adhere  in  secret  to  the  religion 
of  their  fathers.  There  are  several  hundreds  of  this  de- 
scription in  the  city  of  Trebizond,  where  they  are  commonly 
called  Croomlees^  from  the  district  whence  most  of  them 
come.  Though  classed  as  Mussulmans  and  practising  cir- 
cumcision, they  baptize  their  children,  receive  the  sacra- 
ment of  the  Eucharist,  and  entertain  priests  in  their  houses. 
All  this,  however,  they  do  secretly,  while  in  public  they 
wear  the  white  turban  of  the  Turks,  and  call  themselves  Mus- 
sulmans. Their  demeanor,  by  which  they  are  most  readily 
known,  is  said  to  be  even  more  timid  than  that  of  the  Chris- 
tians, living,  as  they  do,  in  constant  fear  of  detection  and 
punishment.  Their  prevarication  in  openly  professing  Is- 
lamism,  while  they  secretly  deny  it,  is  not  to  be  so  severely 
condemned  as  such  an  act  would  be  among  us,  for  if,  on 
the  one  hand,  it  is,  in  any  circumstances,  a  fearful  sin  to 
hold  the  faith  of  Christianity  and  yet  not  to  confess  Christ 
before  men  ;  it  is,  on  the  other,  matter  for  wonder,  that 
Christians  so  destitute  of  instruction  should  retain,  at  an 
imminent  hazard,  even  the  least  vestige  of  their  religion. 
Besides,  the  priests  who  administer  to  them  the  Sacrament, 
allow  them  to  remain  in  this  state  of  delusion,  and  there- 
fore their  own  sin,  we  may  hope,  is  less,  if,  indeed,  they 
have  any  consciousness  of  it.  Are  there  none  among  our- 
selves who,  denying,  as  they  now  do  in  their  lives,  the  Lord 
that  bought  them,  would,  in  such  an  hour  of  temptation, 
fall  entirely  away  ?  It  is  not  for  me  to  judge,  but  it  were 
well  for  such  to  reflect,  whether  at  the  last  shall  receive 
the  greater  condemnation,  the  unenlightened  Christian  on 
the  shore  of  the  Euxine,  or  the  worldly-minded  Christian 
on  the  heaven-illumined  soil  of  England  or  America. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  33 

It  was  for  a  time  doubtful  who  was  our  host,  for  there 
were  several  of  the  villagers  present,  all  eager  to  render 
their  services.  But  when  the  coffee  was  ready,  and  each  had 
had  a  thimble  full  of  it,  after  the  fashion  of  the  Turks,  they 
suddenly  lost  all  interest  in  us,  and  retired,  one  by  one,  un- 
til we  were  left  alone  with  the  master  of  the  khan,  who 
proved  to  be  our  informant,  the  father  of  the  young  thief. 
He  had  no  sooner  told  us  that  he  himself  was  of  the  Greek 
race  and  his  language  Greek,  than  Basil  began  to  try  him 
in  that  tongue.  But  their  communication  was  of  little  avail, 
for  while  one  spoke  the  language  of  Constantinople  and  the 
other  of  Campanos,  they  only  understood  each  other  imper- 
fectly. The  latter  pronounced  strangely,  and  used  words 
occasionally  which  were  neither  Greek  nor  Turkish — they 
may  have  been  Laz.  They  soon  gave  it  up  in  despair,  and 
returned  to  Turkish. 

Our  road  the  next  morning  still  wound  amidst  moun- 
tain scenery  of  the  most  magnificent  description.  Rocks 
piled  upon  rocks,  and  crowned  with  lofty  pinnacles,  met  the 
eye  on  every  side.  Again  and  again  I  gazed  long  and  doubt- 
fully, to  discover  whether^some  solitary  column,  rising  above 
the  highest  point  of  a  mountain,  was  the  remnant  of  an  old 
castle,  or  a  playful  work  of  nature.  We  ascended  for  more 
than  two  hours  across  tumbling  streams  and  through  hard- 
wood forests,  until  we  reached  a  height  where  other  moun- 
tains, still  covered  with  their  wintry  mantle,  appeared  in  the 
distance,  and  the  cold  snow-wind  came  howling  by.  From 
this  we  descended  more  rapidly  than  we  had  gone  up,  too 
rapidly,  indeed,  for  ease  or  comfort,  the  descent  resembling 
in  some  places  a  flight  of  stairs.  As  our  poor  horses 
smelled  their  way  and  dropped  their  feet  from  step  to  step, 
we  had  abundant  time  to  look  down  the  steep  declivities 
close  at  our  side,  and  calculate  the  consequences  of  a  sin- 
gle stumble  in  performing  the  manoeuvre.  One  of  them 
gave  out,  and  we  committed  him  to  the  care  of  the  first 


34  VISIT    TO    THE 

peasant  that  we  met,  with  instructions  to  leave  him  at  our 
last  night's  lodging-place.  To  reward  the  man  for  his  ser- 
vice our  guide  told  him  that  he  might  ride  when  he  was 
tired, — an  arrangement  from  which  he  was  likely  to  derive 
but  little  benefit,  as  the  animal  would  hardly  go  with  lead- 
ing. The  guide  himself,  however,  had  no  better  alterna- 
tive, as  he  was  compelled  to  go  all  the  rest  of  the  way  to 
Gumush  Khaneh,  twenty-five  miles,  on  foot. 

We  got  through  the  operation  of  going  down  stairs  in 
safety,  arid  pursued  our  way  to  Zohana,  a  cluster  of  khans, 
where  after  much  ado  w  e  obtained  a  breakfast  of  coarse  bread 
and  yo-oort.1  The  place  was  abandoned  by  all  but  a  few 
old  stragglers,  who  lingered  there  until  the  route  over  the 
mountains  should  be  opened,  when  this  valley  road,  being 
somewhat  longer,  is  deserted  for  the  summer.  We  wished 
to  have  stopped  here,  but  as  the  winter  stock  of  fuel  was  ex- 
hausted, and  we  were  drenched  to  the  skin  by  a  shower  of 
rain  which  we  had  encountered  in  the  mountains,  we  were 
compelled  to  move  on  to  Adaseue,  two  hours  farther  on  our 
way.  Here,  instead  of  a  group  of  khans,  was  only  one, 
and  that  was  crowded  by  a  throng  of  hungry  men  and  horses 
driven  in  by  a  fresh  shower  of  rain,  in  the  midst  of  which 
we  arrived.  There  was  nothing  to  eat,  but  fortunately 
there  was  a  little  fuel  left,  with  which  we  made  a  fire,  and 
then  seated  ourselves  to  dry.  The  rest  of  the  company, 
who  seemed  never  to  have  thought  of  so  simple  a  way  of  ac- 
complishing the  object,  took  advantage  of  it  when  it  was 
made,  with  all  the  alacrity  with  which  men  avail  themselves 
of  a  new  idea.  To  finish  our  breakfast  begun  at  Zohana, 
we  prepared  our  coffee,  and,  as  is  usual  on  such  occasions, 
every  one  who  thought  himself  respectable  enough  drew 
near  to  partake  of  it.  My  custom  at  such  times  is  to  be  lib- 

1  I  write  the  word  as  it  is  pronounced  ;  the  thing  is  sour  curd  made 
from  milk — a  wholesome  and  refreshing  food  for  travellers. 


-N  KIAN    CHURCH.  35 

oral,  as  the  gift  of  a  cup  of  coffee  in  a  company  of  this  sort 
is  a  sure  way  to  make  friends,  and  entitles  one  to  the  privi- 
lege of  asking  questions.  But,  unfortunately,  the  number  of 
those  who  thought  themselves  respectable  was  very  great, 
and  our  coffee-pot  held  only  two  Turkish  cups  full,  one  of 
which  Basil  brought  to  me,  and  the  other,  which  I  supposed 
was  going  to  a  Mollah  opposite,  he  poured  down  his  own 
throat,  in  consideration  of  his  having,  as  he  afterwards  said, 
the  first  right  after  his  master.  Before  the  mighty  coffee- 
pot could  be  replenished  the  fire  had  gone  out,  and  there 
was  no  more  wood.  The  expectant  company  waited  till 
they  saw  the  apparatus  going  back  into  the  saddle-bags, 
when  they  arose  and  dispersed  as  silently  and  solemnly  as 
they  came.  We  made  no  friends  at  the  khan,  and  instead  of 
the  showers  of  "God  give  you  prosperity,"  and  "  May  your 
journey  be  propitious,"  which  would  have  followed  a  cup  of 
the  favorite  beverage,  we  mounted  our  horses  and  rode  away 
in  a  dead  silence. 

The  rest  of  the  way  to  Gumush  Khaneh  was  along  the 
side  of  a  stream  of  the  same  name.  We  lodged  at  a  khan 
on  the  road  and  reached  the  town  the  next  morning. 
About  three  hours  from  the  place  we  passed  a  monastery 
situated  in  the  hills  above  the  route  we  were  travelling,  and 
was  told  by  the  people  that  there  is  another  fifteen  hours  to 
the  S.  W.  We  saw  also  two  more  chapels  like  those  before 
described,  and  discovered  some  real  ruins  of  old  fortresses 
perched  on  almost  inaccessible  heights. 

Gumush  Khaneh  looked  better  than  at  my  first  visit  in 
1837.  The  gardens  below  the  town  were  gay  with  all  the 
luxuriance  of  an  early  vegetation.  Among  the  trees  I  no- 
ticed the  pear,  the  apple,  the  almond  and  the  walnut,  and 
the  lilac  among  its  flowers. 

I  had  nothing  to  detain  me  in  the  place  but  the  tardiness 
of  the  Governor  in  providing  horses,  which  he  said  were 
always  ready,  but  which,  in  our  case,  did  not  make  their 


36  VISIT    TO    THE 

appearance  till  the  next  morning,  and  then  were  taken  by 
force  from  some  poor  villages  near  the  town.  For  being 
always  ready  in  this  remarkable  manner  he  proposed  to 
charge  treble  for  the  horses,  which  I  consented  to  do  if  he 
would  find  it  in  the  post-order. l 

There  are  four  Greek  churches  and  one  Armenian  in 
Gumush  Khaneh,  but  no  Bishop  resident.  The  place 
belongs  to  the  diocese  of  Trebizond.  Most  of  the  Christians 
are  miners,  and  as  the  mines  have  nearly  failed,  numerous 
families  are  reduced  to  a  state  of  utter  destitution. 

1  Post-orders  (menzil  emri)  are  given  to  travellers  in  Turkey,  who 
choose  to  travel  with  post-horses.  Those  issued  at  Constantinople  bear 
the  Sultan's  cipher,  and  specify  the  number  of  horses  that  the  traveller  re- 
quires, and  sometimes  the  post-rates,  which  were  formerly  fixed,  but  now 
vary  from  one  to  two  and  a  half  piastres,  in  different  parts  of  the  empire. 
The  traveller  pays  in  advance  at  each  post-house  from  one  to  two  and  a 
half  piastres  (two  pence  to  five  pence  sterling)  for  each  horse  per  hour,  the 
hour  being  a  measure  of  distance,  about  three  miles. 


HVRIAN    CHUKCH.  37 


CHAPTER    III. 

The  Road. — The  Osmanbesand  the  Turks. — Sunset  Scene. — The  Ayan's 
Palace. — Reception. — Lesson  on  Hospitality. — Repose  in  a  Village. — 
Kara  Hissar. — Its  Ancient  Citadel. — Preparations  for  a  Journey. — 
The  Plain  of  Ashkar. — Ancient  Remains. — The  Greek  Population  of 
the  Interior. — Face  of  the  Country. — The  Day's  Stage. — The  Arme- 
nians.— Their  Dispersion. — National  Character. — Their  Church. — Its 
Changes. — Its  present  State. — Its  Necessities. 

FROM  Gumush  Khaneh  we  crossed  the  mountains  to  the 
south  of  the  town.  The  road  was  hardly  yet  open.  Heavy 
drifts  of  snow  were  lying  in  the  hollows,  and  in  one  or  two 
instances  we  were  compelled  to  go  half  a  mile  out  of  our 
way  in  order  to  get  round  them.  The  view  from  the  heights 
sometimes  revealed  to  us  prospects  of  richly  wooded  vallies, 
and  at  others  we  passed  under  towering  rocks  where  the 
eagle  sat  upon  his  aerie,  and  watched  us  with  his  fierce 
glancing  eye  as  we  went  silently  on  our  way.  Thence  we 
descended  to  the  village  of  Keklit  through  vallies  and  along 
hill-sides  covered  with  pine  and  spruce.  Keklit  itself  is  on 
one  of  those  beautiful  plains  which  abound  in  Turkey,  where 
every  thing  that  nature  can  give  of  rich  and  well-watered 
soils  is  found,  and  nothing  seems  wanting  to  make  it  the 
abode  of  perfect  happiness  but  a  moral  beauty,  whose  ab- 
sence is  more  deeply  felt  where  nature  has  been  so  lavish 
of  her  gifts. 

From  Keklit  to  Sheiran  the  road  lies  over  an  undulating 
country,  much  of  it  covered  with  oak  shrubbery.  We  were 

3 


38  VISIT    TO    THE 

advised  at  Keklit  to  take  a  guard  on  account  of  a  recent 
robbery  on  the  road,  and  did  so ;  but  instead  of  meeting 
with  blood-thirsty  men,  we  were  regaled  all  the  way  with 
the  songs  of  myriads  of  nightingales.  I  thought  I  could  see 
as  we  advanced  westward  the  gradual  change,  which  is 
more  evident  at  long  distances,  from  the  rough  and  original 
Turkish  character  which  prevails  in  the  Eastern  provinces, 
to  the  more  humane  traits  of  the  Mussulmans  of  Asia  Minor. 
The  contrast  in  this  respect  between  Erzroum  and  Tocat 
is  very  striking,  but  whether  it  arises  from  a  radical  differ- 
ence of  races,  or  from  those  farther  West  being  more  affected 
by  the  somewhat  civilizing  influence  of  the  capital,  I  cannot 
say.  Certain  it  is  that  the  races  are  different,  and  that  of 
the  Osmanlees  appears  to  be  superior  to  any  other.  The 
contempt  which  they  have  for  the  Turkish  races  to  the  East 
shows  their  own  sense  of  this  superiority. 

At  sunset  on  the  second  day  we  found  ourselves  about 
eighty  miles  from  Gumush  Khaneh,  in  the  midst  of  a  fine  low- 
land country  and  near  the  habitation  of  the  Ay  an,  or  governor, 
of  the  district.  Our  guide  told  us  that  he  had  from  fifty  to 
sixty  villages  under  his  control,  and  spoke  so  largely  of  his 
hospitality  that  I  determined  to  partake  of  it.  His  house 
was  a  prominent  object  in  all  the  country  around,  standing 
alone  upon  an  eminence  in  the  midst  of  the  vale,  and  looking 
like  a  palace  in  comparison  with  the  log-cabins  which  we 
had  every  where  seen  since  leaving  Gumush  Khaneh.  The 
day  was  declining,  the  herds  were  coming  in  over  the  lea, 
the  boys  and  girls  about  the  villages  were  letting  loose  the 
lambs  that  had  been  kept  in  confinement  at  home,  now  to 
meet  their  dams  and  to  receive  their  evening  repast.  It 
was  pleasant  to  see  how  every  little  one  went  bleating  about 
till  it  found  its  mother,  and  how  every  mother  seemed  grate- 
ful and  happy  when  she  recognized  her  young.  And  then 
what  capering  and  frolicking  and  shouts  of  laughter,  when 
the  youngsters  of  the  village  attempted  to  separate  them  for 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  39 

the  purpose  of  returning  the  lambs  to  the  fold  and  driving 
back  the  flock  to  the  pasture.  Nothing  was  to  be  heard 
besides  their  merry  laugh  and  the  distant  baying  of  dogs. 
The  air  was  calm  and  still,  and  the  smoke  went  straight  up 
from  the  chimney  of  the  Ayan's  palace,  giving  promise  of 
good  cheer  within.  It  was  that  quiet  repose  of  nature  which 
sinks  so  gently  into  the  traveller's  heart,  and  repays  him  at 
sweet  eventide  for  the  toil  and  labor  of  the  day.  How 
often  have  troubled  feelings  been  soothed  and  loneliness 
cheered  by  sights  and  sounds  like  these  !  And  what  stores 
of  pleasant  pictures  have  been  treasured  up  to  beguile 
weary  hours  with  grateful  recollections  of  the  past  ! 

We  approached  the  Ayan's  house,  rode  up  the  little  hill 
on  which  it  stood,  and  stopped  before  the  door,  The  build- 
ing was  not  so  imposing  at  close  view  as  it  had  been  in  the 
distance.  The  walls  were  of  earth,  after  the  fashion  of  the 
houses  in  Persia,  and  the  only  opening  in  them  was  the  door 
before  which  we  stood.  I  sent  in  Basil  with  my  sela?n,  and 
a  respectful  request  for  a  night's  lodging.  He  soon  returned 
with  the  information  that  the  house  was  full.  The  guide  whis- 
pered that  such  an  excuse  was  never  made  when  the  guests 
were  acceptable,  but  that  doubtless  the  Ayan  had  no  particu- 
lar desire  to  accommodate  strangers  and  Christians.  Basil 
added  that  the  answer  was  conveyed  to  him  in  a  very  angry 
and  unbecoming  manner.  I  did  not  like  the  tone  of  it,  and 
still  less  the  act  which  almost  immediately  followed.  While 
we  were  considering  what  was  to  be  done,  a  young  man 
came  out,  whom,  from  the  style  of  his  dress,  I  took  to  be 
the  Ayan's  scribe.  He  stood  at  the  door  and  began  to 
abuse  the  guide  for  bringing  guests  to  the  house.  The 
poor  fellow  did  not  answer  a  word,  and  I  undertook  to  re- 
ply for  him  by  a  lecture  on  hospitality.  The  young  man 
listened  in  silence,  and  I  went  on  to  tell  him  that  the  lan- 
guage which  he  had  used  was  dangerous  for  the  Ayan,  that 


40  VISIT    TO    THE 

I  had  in  my  pocket  a  bouyouroultou  from  his  master  the 
Pasha  of  Trebizond,  with  which  I  could  compel  him  to  ad- 
mit me  if  I  pleased.  At  this  the  young  man  lowered  his 
tone,  and  humbly  protested  that  the  house  was  full,  that  if  I 
pleased  I  might  enter  and  examine  every  room.  I  told  him 
that  I  had  no  wish  to  intrude,  and  that  if  he  had  given  me  a 
civil  answer  in  the  first  place,  I  should  have  gone  on  my  way 
without  saying  a  word.  He  then  went  in  and  immediately 
returned  with  a  bit  of  paper  with  the  Ayan's  seal  upon  it. 
This  he  gave  to  the  guide,  telling  him  that  by  showing  it  in 
the  next  village,  we  should  receive  every  thing  that  we  needed 
for  man  and  beast.  As  night  had  now  set  in,  and  the  guide 
did  not  know  the  road,  I  asked  for  a  servant  from  the  Ayan 
to  show  us  the  way.  The  young  man  demurred,  but  I  in- 
sisted upon  it,  and  told  him  that  if  he  gave  me  any  more 
trouble,  I  would  report  the  matter  to  the  Pasha.  This 
brought  him  again  to  terms,  and  he  ordered  a  servant  to  ac- 
company us. 

It  was  now  quite  dark  ;  the  evening  was  chilly  ;  we  had 
been  in  the  saddle  ten  hours  without  dismounting,  and  had 
been  drenched  by  one  of  those  afternoon  showers  which  are 
of  almost  daily  occurrence  at  this  season,  and  which  pour 
like  a  torrent  upon  the  traveller.  Our  way  was  over  a  low 
meadow  ground,  cold  and  damp,  and  the  village,  which  the 
young  man  had  said  was  close  by,  proved  to  be  nearly  an 
hour  distant.  I  attempted  to  beguile  the  way  by  talking 
with  the  servant  about  his  master,  and  I  was  not  a  little 
surprised  and  amused  to  find  that  the  young  man  whom  I 
had  taken  for  a  scribe,  was  the  Ayan  himself.  Perhaps  I 
should  have  been  more  sparing  of  my  advice  if  I  had  known 
it  at  the  moment,  but  as  he  was  a  very  young  man,  and  evi- 
dently had  not  yet  learned  good  manners,  doubtless  it  was 
best  that  he  should  hear  the  whole,  and  his  age  at  least  gives 
hope  of  improvement. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  41 

Every  body  was  abed  when  we  reached  the  village.  We 
called  up  the  kiahya1  and  showed  him  the  seal.  He  began  to 
protest  that  there  was  no  fodder  for  the  horses,  no  accommo- 
dation for  us,  and  seemed  inclined  to  push  us  on  to  the  next 
village.  But  this  would  not  do,  for  I  was  now  stiff  with  cold, 
the  night  was  dark,  and  the  guide  having  left  the  post-road 
to  reach  the  Ayan's  house,  did  not  know  how  to  regain  it.  I 
told  the  kiahya,  therefore,  that  if  he  would  make  no  trouble, 
I  would  not  use  the  seal,  but  would  pay  him  fairly  for  every 
thing  which  he  might  bring  us.  This  simple  proposal 
changed  at  once  the  aspect  of  things.  The  village,  only  a 
moment  before  entirely  destitute,  was  by  the  magical  sound 
of  money  converted  suddenly  into  a  granary  of  barley  and 
straw  ;  there  was  a  nice  room  ready  for  us,  wood  for  a  fire, 
and  plenty  to  eat.  The  gruff,  sleepy  kiahya  became  all 
activity  and  cheerfulness.  Even  his  wife  rose  at  the  sound, 
and  recommenced  the  culinary  operations  but  just  now  sus- 
pended. A  fire  was  soon  blazing  in  the  apartment,  carpets 
were  spread,  and  master  and  servant  and  guide  were 
stretching  themselves  to  dry.  I  would  not  suffer  the  Ayan's 
boy  to  go  back,  but  made  him  sit  down  and  partake  of  our 
cheer.  His  master  would  repent,  he  said,  of  having  sent 
him,  for  he  had  not  another  like  him  to  present  the  pipe 
and  play  the  fiddle.  According  to  his  report  the  Ayan  spent 
a  great  part  of  his  time  in  hunting.  Two  noble  hounds 
had  accompanied  us  from  the  house,  and  were  now  com- 
fortably crouched  at  his  side  looking  over  their  paws  at  the 
fire.  The  host's  reception  verified  his  promises,  and  my  re- 
quital the  next  morning  verified  mine.  He;iwas  a  Mussul- 
man, and  his  green  turban  marked  his  descent  from  Moham- 
med. Yet  we  conversed  kindly  and  parted  fair  friends, 
with  many  wishes  that  we  might  meet  again.  It  is  some- 

1  A  village  officer,  part  of  whose  business  it  is  to  provide  lodgings  for 
travellers. 


42  VISIT    TO    THE 

thing  to  conquer  the  prejudices  of  a  Mussulman,  and  to 
make  him  think  better  of  Christianity  by  making  him  think 
well  of  a  Christian. 

The  approach  to  Kara  Hissar,  fifty  miles  from  Sheiran,  is 
one  of  extraordinary  beauty.  The  town  stands  on  an  ele- 
vated ridge  or  neck,  extending  from  the  mountains  on  the 
right,  and  terminating  in  a  tall,  solitary  rock  on  the  left  of 
the  town.  For  miles  Eastward  the  slope  is  covered  with  the 
richest  gardens  abounding  in  every  kind  of  fruit  suited  to 
the  climate — the  apple,  the  pear,  the  peach,  the  walnut,  the 
mulberry,  and  plums  of  various  sorts.  The  town  contains 
about  1000  houses,  inhabited  chiefly  by  Mussulmans,  but  the 
Armenians  and  Greeks  are  sufficiently  numerous  to  have 
each  a  Church.  On  the  summit  of  the  rock,  which  on  one 
side  towers  above  the  town,  and  on  the  other  lords  it  over 
the  valley  below,  stands  the  ancient  fortress  which  gives  the 
place  its  name.  It  is  evidently  one  of  those  old  structures 
supposed  to  belong  to  the  middle  ages,  and  which  were  erect- 
ed by  the  Genoese  when  their  trade  penetrated  the  far  East, 
and  lines  of  fortresses  were  built  for  the  Security  of  traffic. 
I  found  in  one  part  of  it  the  remains  of  a  Church,  and  in 
others  wells  and  cisterns,  intended  evidently  to  supply  it  with 
water.  The  old  wells  were  nearly  gone,  but  the  gateway 
remained,  and  over  it  was  the  device  of  the  two-headed 
eagle.  In  another  part  was  a  subterranean  room,  called  by 
the  people  the  Dungeon. 

When  I  left  Gumush  Khaneh  I  had  intended  to  strike 
down  from  Keklit  to  the  Euphrates,  but  the  country  to  the 
South  of  Keklit  was  infested  with  predatory  Kurds  who  had 
risen  in  rebellion,  and  had  ravaged  the  country  to  the  very 
gates  of  Erzingan.  I  was  therefore  compelled  to  turn  off 
Westward  to  Kara  Hissar.  Here  I  made  another  attempt 
to  go  Southward,  but  was  again  defeated,  the  Governor  of 
Kara  Hissar  declaring  that  he  would  afford  me  no  aid  for 
such  a  journey.  He  advised  me  rather  to  go  direct  to 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  43 

Sivas,  though  that  route  also  was  accounted  dangerous. 
But  here  he  was  very  prompt  and  kind  in  providing  every 
security  in  his  power  for  my  journey.  He  ordered  a  Ka- 
vass1  to  attend  me  to  Edrenes,  the  first  town  on  the  road, 
and  gave  me  a  letter  to  the  Ayan  of  that  place,  requiring 
him  to  furnish  two  armed  men  to  conduct  me  to  Zara,  the 
first  town  in  the  Pashalik  of  Sivas.  To  this  he  added 
another  letter  addressed  to  a  Kurdish  chief  under  his  juris- 
diction, living  in  the  mountains  six  hours  beyond  Edrens, 
directing  him  to  provide  two  men  more,  to  accompany  me 
with  the  others  as  far  as  Zara. 

We  started  on  the  18th  about  noon,  and  arrived  that  day 
at  Gheuz  Keui,  (Eye  village,)  on  the  border  of  the  great 
plain  of  Ashkar,  five  hours  from  Kara  Hissar.  The  next 
morning  we  crossed  the  plain  to  Edrenes,  which  lies  on  the 
opposite  side.  This  plain  is  another  of  those  broad  levels 
extending  among  the  hills,  which  give  support  to  a  large 
population,  and  are  the  sources  of  plenty  and  wealth  to  the 
neighboring  districts.  That  of  Ashkar  is  twenty  miles  in 
length,  and  is  marked  by  no  less  than  seventy-five  villages, 
under  the  government  of  the  Ayan  of  Edrenes,  who  is  sub- 
ject to  the  Mutselim2  of  Kara  Hissar,  who  is  subject  in  his 
turn  to  the  Pasha  of  Trebizond,  who  is  subject  again  to  the 
Sultan.  Below  this  long  line  of  officers  are  the  Aghas,  or 
chiefs  of  villages,  who  have  also  under  them,  Kiahyas,  or 
chiefs  of  quarters,  and  even  these  have  their  deputies.  The 
plain  of  Ashkar  seems  to  take  its  name  from  a  place  East  of 
Edrenes,  where  the  people  say  once  stood  a  great  city.  I 
had  not  time  to  visit  it,  but  from  their  description  of  the  re- 
mains, I  judged  it  to  be  another  of  the  Genoese  fortresses, 
an  outpost  probably  of  the  great  route  above.  The  people 

1  An  officer  attending  upon  Turkish   Pashas  and  Governors,  and 
European  Ambassadors  at  the  Porte,  and  Consuls. 

2  Governor  of  a  city  and  its  dependencies.     He  is  generally  below 
the  rank  of  Pasha. 


44  VISIT    TO    THK 

said  that  there  were  massive  ruins  still  to  be  seen,  and  graves 
sixty  asheun  long.1  The  place  is  still  occupied  by  a  few 
poor  families.  In  Gheuz  Keui  there  were  ten  Greek  fam- 
ilies ;  but  not  so  many  more  in  the  whole  district.  The 
Greek  population  almost  entirely  ceases  South  of  the  lati- 
tude of  Erzroum,  and  East  of  the  longitude  of  Tocat.  It  is 
confined  for  the  most  part  to  Asia  Minor  and  the  coast  of 
the  Black  Sea,  wfiere  were  also  its  ancient  homes.  There 
is  only  one  Greek  Bishop  beyond  the  same  limits,  and  he 
resides  at  Ergin  on  the  Euphrates,  in  Western  Kurdistan, 
and  sometimes  at  Kabban  Maden,  on  the  road  from  Tocat  to 
Diarbekir.  His  jurisdiction  extends  over  all  the  country 
from  Kara  Hissar  to  Bagdad,  and  from  Kaisariyeh  (Caesarea 
in  Cappadocia)  to  the  borders  of  Persia,  and  I  presume 
that  in  the  whole  of  his  diocese  there  are  not  5000  Greeks. 
The  inhabitants  of  the  plains  of  Ashkar  are  chiefly  Ar- 
menian, and  those  of  Edrenes  exclusively  so.  Here  they 
have  a  Church,  and  a  population  of  about  500  souls;  and, 
probably,  their  whole  population,  upon  the  plain  alone,  is  not 
less  than  4,000.  This  singularly  industrious  and  frugal 
people  are  to  be  found  in  all  parts  of  the  empire  ;  from  the 
Caucasus  to  the  Nile,  and  from  the  Danube  to  the  Persian 
Gulf;  and  every  where  they  are  the  same,  with  those  varia- 
tions only  which  differences  of  occupation,  of  climate,  and 
of  local  government,  tend  to  produce.  Simple  and  indus- 
trious ;  quietly  bearing  the  yoke  which  the  Greeks  are  so 
restive  under ;  given  to  the  honest  and  useful  arts  of  life, 
seeking  gain  wherever  they  are,  and,  for  the  most  part,  care- 
fully preserving  it ;  docile  and  sober-minded;  they  are  much 
more  akin  to  the  Turks,  both  in  character  and  manners, 
than  any  other  of  the  Christian  races.  Driven  out  from 
their  patrimony,  or  enticed  from  their  ancient  lands  by  the 

1  An  asheun  is  about  30  inches.     The  graves  would  then  be  150 
feet! 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  45 

desire  of  gain,  they  are  to  be  seen  in  almost  every  district 
and  every  city  ;  in  Asia  Minor,  in  Kurdistan,  in  Mesopota- 
mia, in  Syria,  in  Egypt,  in  Turkey  in  Europe,  in  the  pro- 
vinces North  of  the  Danube,  and  beyond  the  boundaries  of 
the  empire,  in  Austria,  Russia,  Persia,  and  Hindostan. 
Every  where  in  Turkey  they  are  the  great  producers,  whether 
they  till  the  soil  or  engage  in  traffic.  They  are  the  bone 
and  sinew  of  the  land — at  once  its  most  useful  and  most 
peaceful  citizens.  Were  they  removed  from  Turkey,  the 
wealth  and  productive  power  of  the  country  would  be  in- 
calculably diminished.1 

No  less  interesting  are  they  in  their  ecclesiastical  cha- 
racter, by  which  I  mean  their  moral  dispositions,  and  the 
state  and  character  of  their  Church.  Separated  from  the 
Greek  Communion  by  their  rejection  of  the  Fourth  Ecumen- 
ical Council,  they  have  retained  in  some  respects  practices 
peculiarly  primitive;  while  by  their  commingling  with  so 
many  different  nations,  they  have,  in  other  respects,  singu- 
larly departed  from  their  own  ancient  standards.2  No  com- 
munion of  Eastern  Christians  has  been  so  much  affected  by 
changes  from  without  ;  and  in  none  has  so  large  a  schism 
been  created,  unless  we  are  to  except  the  Chaldean  Church 
of  Mesopotamia,  which  has  almost  entirely  acknowledged 
allegiance  to  the  Pope.  But  the  whole  number  of  members 
in  this  Church  does  not  much  exceed  one-third  of  the  Ar- 


1  Their  character  and  habits  are  thoroughly  Oriental,  but  in  their  in- 
dustry and  spirit  of  acquisition,  they  present  rather  a  contrast  than  a  re- 
semblance to  the  Turks. 

2  One  instance  of  an  ancient  custom  of  the  Eastern  Churches,  which 
no  other  has  retained,  is  the  observance  of  the  Nativity  and  the  Epiphany 
of  our  Saviour  on  the  same  day,  the  6th  of  January.     An  instance  of  de- 
parture from  the    ancient  standards  is  seen  in   the  practice  of  counting 
seven  sacraments,  which  is  common  among  their  clergy,  whereas  their 
Church  does  not  recognize  seven,  and  for  one  at  least,  extreme  unction, 
has  no  rite  or  service  whatever. 

3* 


46  VISIT    TO    THE 

menians  who  acknowledge  the  supremacy  of  the  Pope.1 
The  schism  is  greater  in  the  Chaldean  Church  in  its  ratio, 
but  less  in  its  aggregate. 

The  peculiar  docility  of  the  Armenians,  and  their  disposi- 
tion to  learn,  lays  them  open  to  influences  from  without,  and 
makes  it  more  easy  to  inculcate  either  good  or  evil  among 
them  than  among  any  other  body  of  Eastern  Christians. 
They  have  also  received  from  Rome  most  of  their  religious 
literature  for  many  years  past,  and  this  has  gradually  in- 
fused the  taint  of  Romish  theology,  so  that  many  of  their 
clergy  speak  in  the  language  of  Rome,  without  understand- 
ing that  they  contravene  the  standards  and  practices  of  their 
own  Church.2  The  antidote  were  as  easily  applied  as  the 
poison.  What  they  most  need  is  a  sound  religious  literature, 
presenting  doctrine  in  a  primitive  manner,  and  not  after  the 
speculative  and  scholastic  modes  which  prevail  among  us  ; 
recognizing  thoroughly  the  primitive  institutions  of  the 
Church,  and  turning  them  to  their  proper  use ;  not  condemn- 
ing practices  which  are  ancient,  but  relieving  them  of  their 
abuses  ;  cheerfully  inculcating  duties  which  are  now  per- 
formed, but  restoring  to  them  their  religious  sense  and  life ; 
making  what  is  perfunctorily  done,  by  the  blessing  of  God  a 
living  means  of  grace  ;  setting  forth  the  duties  of  the  Chris- 
tian life,  its  interior  graces,  its  self-denial  and  its  perfect 
obedience.  Such  a  work  were  worthy  of  our  labors  and 
our  prayers — but  who  is  there  to  perform  it  ?  It  is  needed 
to  save  the  Armenians  from  schism,  to  strengthen  the  things 
that  remain,  to  build  them  up  in  their  most  holy  faith. 

1  "  The  Catholic  Almanac  and  Laity's  Directory,"  a  Roman  Catholic 
publication,  under  the  supervision  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Bishop  in  Bal- 
timore (U.  S.  A.),  states  the  number  of  Chaldeans  conjecturally  at  15,000 
and  the  number  of  Papal  Armenians  at  40,000. 

2  Most  of  the  doctrinal  and  religious  books  which  have  an  allowed  cir- 
culation among  the  Armenians  are  from  the  Armenian  presses  of  Venice 
and  Vienna. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH 


CHAPTER    IV. 

The  Ayan  ofEdrenes. — The  Church  of  Edrenes. — Churches  in  Turkey. — 
Contrast  with  Mosques. — Armenian  Churches  described. — Altars. — 
The  Font. — Women's  Place. — Paintings. — The  design  of  Pictures  in 
Eastern  Churches. — The  Greek. — The  Armenian. — Origin  of  Picture 
Worship  in  them. — Present  State. — Their  Testimony  upon  the  Sub- 
ject.—The  Greek.— The  Armenian.— The  Syrian.— The  Nestoiian  — 
Bearing  of  the  Testimony  upon  the  subject  of  Picture  Worship. — Im- 
portance of  studying  the  Eastern  Churches  for  the  sake  of  their  Testi- 
mony.— The  Steadfastness  of  the  Eastern  Christians  in  maintaining 
their  Confession  of  Christianity. — The  Cause. — Their  low  Estimate  of 
it  practically. — Our  Duty  to  them. 

THE  Ayan  of  Edrenes  was  in  bed  when  we  arrived  early 
on  the  morning  of  the  19th  of  May.  He  repaid  us,  how- 
ever, for  the  delay  by  a  good  breakfast  after  he  arose.  He 
was  himself  so  much  like  an  Armenian  that  I  could  hardly 
believe  he  was  not  one,  until  I  reflected  that  it  was  a  thing 
unheard  of  under  Mussulman  rule,  for  a  Christian  to  be 
Governor  of  such  a  district.  His  servants  told  me  that  he 
was  a  genuine  Mohammedan,  but  I  must  still  think  he  was 
descended  from  a  Christian  stock.  His  looks,  his  manners, 
his  whole  appearance  was  Armenian.  He  received  us  very 
kindly  and  even  deferentially.  I  thought  that  perhaps  his 
constant  intercourse  with  Christians  (for  his  was  the  only 
Mussulman  family  in  Edrenes,  and  very  few  of  the  people 
of  the  district  are  of  that  religion)  might  have  given  him 
something  of  their  temper.  He  interested  himself  in  my 
affairs,  and  while  he  was  making  arrangements  for  my  de- 


48  VISIT    TO    THE 

parture,   I  went  out  to  see  the  Church.     Unfortunately  a 
Mussulman  servant  accompanied  me.     When  I  reached  the 
door  no  one  was  there,  and  the  people  in  sight  disappeared 
at  our  appearance.    There  was  no  one  to  unlock  the  door,  and 
the  key  was  not  to  be  found.     We  inquired  at  the  neigh- 
boring houses,  but  every  body  evaded  our  questions.     At 
length  I  bethought  me  of  a  secret  spring,  and  told  them  that 
I  was  a  Christian  and  had  only  come  to  see  the  Church. 
The  key  was  instantly  produced,  and  a  priest  made  his  ap- 
pearance from  one  of  the  houses.      The  poor  people  had 
been  frightened  at  the  sight  of  the  servant,  and  thought  we 
had  come  with  some  evil    intent  towards  their  sanctuary. 
The  priest,  who  had  the  same  timid  and  cringing  demean- 
or that  is  so  common   among  the   clergy  of  the  interior, 
conducted   us  to  the  Church,  a  plain  building  of  humble 
exterior,  and,  like  all  the  Churches  I  have  seen  in  the  East,1 
without  steeple  or  tower.     Within,  it  had  all  the  parts  usual- 
ly seen  in  an  Eastern  Church,  the  porch,  the  nave  and  the 
sanctuary.     On  the  roof  of  the   porch  was  a  thick  plank 
hung  between  two  upright  posts.     This  is  the  bell,  which  is 
beaten  with  mallets  to  call  the  people  to  Church.     I   was 
surprised  to  see  it  in  so  conspicuous  a  situation.     It  is  gen- 
erally in  the  Church  yard,   if  there   is  one.      Within  the 
Church  there  are  three  altars,  as  there  always   are  in  an 
Armenian  Church.     In  the  present  instance,  as  is  often  the 
case,  especially  in  the  country,  only  one  is  used,  namely,  the 
middle  or  great  altar.     The  others  were  in  a  neglected  and 
disrobed  state.     The  three  stand  in  a  line  at  the  East  end 
of  the  Church.     Near  the  Northern  altar  was  the  baptismal 
font,  a  rude  stone  hollowed  to  the  depth  of  a  foot,  and  sup- 
ported by   as  rude  a  pedestal  of  stone   and  mortar.     The 

1  Excepting  one  or  two  in  monasteries,  which  had  low  towers.  Sev- 
eral of  the  mosques  which  were  formerly  Christian  Churches  have  towers 
still  standing,  which  would  seem  to  show  that  before  the  days  of  Moham- 
medanism, such  appendages  were  not  uncommon. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  49 

Armenian  Churches  in  the  cities  have  generally  a  chapel  on 
each  side  of  the  main  building,  entered  by  a  door  from  the 
chancel  of  the  Church.  In  each  of  these  chapels  is  an 
altar,  and  in  the  Northern  one  the  baptismal  font,  generally 
on  the  Northern  side  of  the  chapel.  There  are  often  one 
or  two  altars  in  the  porch  also,  or  in  adjoining  chapels  at 
that  end.  On  feast  days  in  the  great  Churches,  and  espe- 
cially on  the  day  of  the  Saint  for  whom  the  Church  is  named, 
the  Holy  Eucharist  is  celebrated  at  all  the  altars,  (some- 
times six  or  seven  in  number,)  and  at  all  at  the  same  time. 
The  pavement  on  which  the  great  altar  stands  is  elevated 
from  one  to  three  feet  above  the  chancel-floor,  and  this  last 
is  generally  a  few  inches  higher  than  the  nave,  and  separated 
from  it  by  a  heavy  rail.  Not  only  the  Bishop  and  clergy 
but  the  lay-superintendent  of  the  Church  and  other  con- 
siderable laymen  sit  within  the  rail,  and  oftentimes,  at  great 
festivals,  the  chancel  is  crowded  with  people.1 

The  Church  at  Edrenes  had  most  of  the  parts  which  I 
have  described.  A  large  curtain  hanging  to  the  floor  con- 
cealed the  great  altar,  and  without  it,  but  within  the  chan- 
cel, stood  two  forms,  one  for  the  reading  of  the  Gospel  and 
the  other  for  the  Lessons  and  Responses.  At  the  Western 
end  of  the  Church  was  the  females'  division,  screened  from 
the  rest  of  the  nave  by  a  paling  of  lattice-work.  Almost 
always,  in  the  East,  this  division  (which  so  far  as  I  have  ob- 
served is  every  where  found  among  the  Eastern  Christians) 
is  at  this  end  of  the  Church ;  but  in  a  few  Churches  I  have 
seen  it  at  the  sides.  The  custom  of  separating  males  and 
females  in  public  worship  is  in  accordance  with  the  habits 
of  the  East,  and,  under  existing  circumstances,  I  have  no 
doubt  it  is  best.  The  females'  place  is  sometimes  on  the 
lower  floor,  and  sometimes  (especially  in  city  Churches)  in 

1  But  the  presence  of  any  part  of  the  congregation  here  the  Arme- 
nians themselves  acknowledge  to  be  an  irregularity. 


50  VISIT    TO    THE 

a  gallery  above.     In  only  one  instance  have  I  seen  a  Church 
exclusively  for  females.1 

The  Church  of  Edrenes  contained  a  dozen  pictures  in  a 
very  rude  style,  hanging  in  different  parts  of  the  edifice. 
The  priest  was  unable  to  inform  me  whom  or  what  most  of 
them  were  intended  to  represent,  and  from  this  I  inferred  that 
no  great  use  is  made  of  them.  It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that 
whenever  paintings  ^are  found  in  an  Eastern  Church,  they  are 
necessarily  intended  for  worship.  They  are  often  no  more 
than  portraits  of  Saints  and  scenes  from  Scripture,  repre- 
sentations of  martyrdoms,  and  such  like,  which  are  hung  in 
the  Church  to  adorn  the  edifice,  and  are  placed  in  an  ele- 
vated position,  as  if  with  the  express  design  to  avoid  the 
danger  of  their  being  worshipped.  The  distinction  between 
the  Greek  and  Armenian  Churches  in  this  respect  is  very 
remarkable.  While  in  the  former  the  walls  are  almost  cov- 
ered with  paintings,  and  these  paintings  are  almost  exclusive- 
ly representations  of  persons,  (which  alone  are  ever  wor- 
shipped, for  no  one  would  dream  of  worshipping  a  picture  of 
the  crucifixion  or  the  resurrection  for  instance,  or  any  mere 
representation  of  events,)  and  moreover  these  are  hung  low 
and  are  expressly  prepared  for  worship  by  having  attached 
to  them  fac  similes  in  miniature  intended  to  receive  the  kisses 
of  the  people,  and  thus  save  the  more  costly  originals  from 
injury  ;  in  the  Armenian  Churches  the  pictures  are  few,  and 
most  frequently  they  are  representations  of  events.  These 
are  hung  high  in  the  Church,  often  nearer  the  ceiling  than 
the  floor,  and  are  not  worshipped.  Such  was  probably  the 
ancient  condition  of  the  Armenian  Church,  that  is,  the  same 
use  of  pictures  that  is  known  among  us,  merely  as  decora- 
tions of  the  Church,  and  instructive  representations  of  events 
which  live  in  the  history  of  Christianity.  But  when  the 

1  Connected  with  the  Armenian  Patriarchate  in  Constantinople  are 
three  Churches,  two  for  males,  and  one  exclusively  for  females. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  51 

practice  of  some  portions  of  the  Armenians  became  cor- 
rupt, (which  has  been  chiefly  through  the  influence  of  Rome,) 
and  pictures  began  to  be  used  for  worship,1  those  already  in 
the  Churches  were  not  turned  to  this  purpose,  (being,  as 
representations  of  events,  unfit  therefor,)  but  others  were 
brought  in,  chiefly  pictures  of  the  Virgin,  which  were 
placed,  as  the  custom  still  is,  not  in  the  nave  of  the  Church, 
but  in  the  porch  or  at  the  door,  thus  as  it  were  indicating 
their  extraneous  character  and  the  modern  origin  of  the  use 
of  them.  Accordingly  it  sometimes  happens,  in  remote 
Churches  in  the  interior,  that  the  traveller  will  find  no  pic- 
tures of  this  latter  description,  and  consequently  none  that 
are  worshipped,  the  evil  never  having  entered  there;  while 
in  others  he  will  see.  besides  the  ancient  paintings,  a  single 
portrait  of  the  Saviour  or  the  Virgin,  before  which  no  lights 
are  burned  nor  any  worship  paid.2 

The  Eastern  Churches,  indeed,  when  rightly  viewed, 
present  one  of  the  strongest  arguments  against  picture-wor- 
ship. Its  establishment  in  the  Greek  Church  is  matter  of 
history,  and  we  know  it  to  have  been  as  late  as  A.  D.  787.3 


1  This  would  seem  to  have  been  later  than  the  12th  century,  when,  as 
Nicctas  Choniates  writes,  the  worship  was  forbidden  among  the  Armeni- 
ans.    The  passage  is  quoted  in  Palmer's  Treatise  on  the  Church,  (P.  IV. 
Ch.  X.  Sect,  iv.)  to  which  I  am  indebted  for  it.     It  reads  as  follows : 

A-pHEviotS  -yap  Kal'AXa^aroTj  iiriaris   f]  TMV  ayiwv  CIKOVMV  irpoaKVvriais  d:r>jy(5jO£i> 

ra».  '  For  the  adoration  of  images  is  forbidden  alike  by  the  Armenians 
and  the  Germans.'  Among  the  Armenians  it  has  arisen  chiefly  within 
the  last  century,  and  almost  entirely,  I  believe,  within  the  last  150  years. 

2  In  Constantinople  the  pictures  in  the  porch  have  lamps  burning  be- 
fore them,  and  such  of  the  worshippers  as  please  buy  tapers  at  the  door, 
which  they  light  at  the  lamp  and  attach  to  a  frame  in  front  of  the  picture. 
But  all  do  not  practise  it. 

3  By  the  deutero-Nicene  Council,  under  the  Empress  Irene.     This 
Council  is  recognized  by  the  Greeks  as  the  7th  General  Council,  but  was 
formally  rejected  by  a  large  part  of  the  Western  Church,  including  that  of 
England,  in  the  Council  of  Francfort  on  the  Maine,  A.  D.  794. 


52  VISIT    TO    THE 

In  the  other  Eastern  Churches,  which  were  separated  from 
the  Greek  Church  abou-t  the  middle  of  the  fifth  century 
and  three  hundred  years  before  the  deutero-Nicene  Coun- 
cil, in  which  of  course  they  had  no  participation,  things 
remain  theoretically  very  nearly  the  same  as  at  the  time  of 
their  separation.  Picture-worship  has  never  been  formally 
recognized  among  them;  it  has  never  been  established  by 
Councils  or  Canons,  and  so  far  as  it  is  practised,  it  is  a  false 
appendage,  an  unauthorized  usage,  a  comparatively  modern 
corruption,  gradually  and  partially  introduced  according  to 
the  relative  proximity  (locally)  of  these  Churches  to  the 
Greek  and  Latin  communions,  and  according  to  the  active 
efforts  at  inculcating  it  which  have  been  made  from  with- 
out. Thus,  in  the  Armenian  Church  it  has  prevailed 
more  extensively  than  in  either  of  the  others,  Syrian  or 
Nestorian  ;  and  in  the  Armenian  Church,  it  prevails  most 
where  the  members  of  that  Church  are  nearest  to  the  Greek 
and  Latin  Churches,  and  most  affected  by  intercourse  with 
them,  as,  for  example,  at  Constantinople.  Hence  arises 
the  difference  between  the  Armenian  Churches  on  the  sea- 
board and  in  some  parts  of  the  interior,  especially  those 
parts  which  are  least  connected  with  the  capital.  The  fact 
that  there  are  constantly  to  be  found  in  Constantinople 
some  40,000  Armenians  from  the  interior,  who  come  for 
purposes  of  gain,  and  after  a  time  return  to  their  homes,  is 
enough  to  show  how  wide  an  influence  the  Church  in  the 
metropolis  must  exert  upon  almost  every  part  of  the  coun- 
try. Yet  there  are  numerous  districts  from  which  few,  if 
any,  of  the  people  resort  to  the  capital,  and  those  will  al- 
ways be  found  the  most  free  from  picture-worship  and  other 
modern  corruptions. 

The  Syrian  Church  has  still  less  of  connection  with 
Constantinople.  Its  Patriarch  does  not  reside  there.  The 
source  of  ecclesiastical  rule  and  influence  in  it  is  not  in  the 
capital.  It  is  separated  both  by  space  and  language  from 


SViUAN    CHURCH.  53 

the  western  parts  of  Turkey.  The  evil  influences  that  it 
has  received  have  come  to  it  chiefly  through  Syria.  Its 
practice,  therefore,  is  purer  than  that  of  the  Armenians, 
and  very  much  purer  than  that  of  the  Greeks.  This  is  true 
of  morals  as  well  as  of  worship,  for  the  influence  of  the 
capital  is  at  present  every  way  deleterious.  But  our  atten- 
tion is  now  confined  to  the  use  of  pictures.  I  shall  have 
occasion  hereafter  to  speak  more  particularly  of  it  in  rela- 
tion to  the  Syrian  Church.  Suffice  it  at  present  to  say, 
that  in  some  few  places,  and,  so  far  as  my  observation  has 
extended,  uniformly  those  which  have  been  most  affected 
by  intercourse  with  the  capital,  picture-worship  is  known, 
but  this  in  a  more  limited  degree  than  among  either  Greeks 
or  Armenians,  more  limited  both  as  to  the  number  of  those 
who  practise  it  and  the  extent  to  which  it  is  carried.  I  can- 
not, for  example,  recall  an  instance  in  a  Syrian  Church, 
though  I  will  not  positively  affirm  there  is  none,  in  which 
lights  are  kept  burning  before  a  picture  during  the  intervals 
of  service.  But  this  practice  is,  I  believe,  universal  among 
the  Greeks,  and  not  uncommon  among  the  Armenians. 
And  as  to  the  number  of  those  who  practise  picture-wor- 
ship, the  distinction  between  the  three  Churches  is  equally 
marked.  Among  the  Greeks  one  seldom  enters  a  church 
without  kissing  one  or  more  pictures,  and  bowing  and 
crossing  himself  before  them.  In  the  Armenian  Churches 
many  enter  and  depart  without  taking  any  notice  of  the  pic- 
tures, where  there  are  any.  In  the  Syrian  Church  I  have 
never  seen  one  perform  this  sort  of  devotion  either  on  en- 
tering or  departing,  although  I  would  not  deny  that  instances 
of  the  kind  may  in  some  places  be  seen. 

If  we  go  one  step  farther  into  the  interior  we  shall  find 
the  climax  of  our  argument — a  Christian  community  among 
whom  not  a  trace  of  picture-worship  is  to  be  found.  The 
Nestorians  of  Kurdistan  have  remained  in  a  remarkable 
manner  secluded  from  all  other  Churches  since  the  early 


54  VISIT    TO    THE 

ages  of  Christianity.  No  Christians  practising  picture- 
worship  have  ever  penetrated,  until  these  latter  days,  into 
the  stern  recesses  of  their  mountain  homes.  They  remain, 
in  point  of  religious  usages,  the  same  that  they  were 
fifteen  centuries  ago;  while  in  point  of  intellectual  activ- 
ity and  learning,  little  or  nothing  has  survived.  We 
might  conceive  of  corruption  creeping  in,  in  an  age  of 
ignorance,  but  not  of  its  creeping  out.  If  it  had  ever  been 
in,  the  ignorance  which  has  so  long  enveloped  the  Nesto- 
rian  Church  would  have  preserved  and  strengthened  it,  or 
at  least  it  would  have  remained,  amidst  the  extinction  of 
learning,  in  a  stagnant  and  unchanging  state,  like  flies  pre- 
served in  amber.  Had  there  been  life,  and  movement,  and 
theological  inquiry,  subtle  reasoning  might  have  marshalled 
in  the  error.  But  ignorance  is  obstinate,  and  stands  upon 
custom  and  tradition  and  established  usage.  It  preserves 
error,  or  if  it  gives  birth,  it  is  only  to  creatures  of  darkness. 
It  djes  not  originate  reform.  Hence  it  is  impossible  that 
the  Nestorian  Church  should  have  lost  the  use  of  picture- 
worship  if  it  had  ever  existed,  besides  that  history  has 
recorded  no  such  change.  The  time  has  never  been  when 
it  was  in  vogue.  The  universal  testimony  of  the  Nestorians 
is,  that  their  Church  was  never  defiled  by  it,  and  no  one, 
I  believe,  pretends  that  it  has  ever  been  known  among 
them.  The  testimony  which  their  Church  bears,  is  the 
testimony  of  the  earliest  ages,  since  which  they  have  been 
shut  up  in  their  mountain  fastnesses,  unchanging  within 
and  unchanged  from  without.  Interesting  as  it  is  in  itself, 
it  is  of  the  greater  value  as  showing  the  ancient  practice  of 
the  Church,  and  combined  with  the  evidence  from  the  other 
Eastern  communions,  it  presents  a  solid  and  immovable 
argument  against  the  antiquity  and  lawfulness  of  picture- 
worship.  I  quote  it,  moreover,  as  one  instance  out  of 
many,  which  shows  the  importance  of  studying  the  Oriental 
Churches  ecclesiastically,  for  the  evidence  which  they  pre- 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  55 

sent  concerning  ancient  forms  and  practices.  It  will 
generally  be  found  that  where  any  corruption  has  been 
introduced  among  them  since  the  rise  and  prevalence  of 
Mohammedanism,  it  is  either  the  progress  of  changes  which 
began  before,  or  it  has  been  introduced  from  without.  One 
may  even  venture  to  affirm,  that  if  the  Greek  Church  had 
been  subjected  to  the  sway  of  Islamism  at  as  early  a  date 
as  the  Syrian,  picture-worship  would  never  have  been  es- 
tablished by  an  Eastern  Council,  nor  would  the  other  great 
delinquency  of  that  Church, — the  idolatrous  worship  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin, — have  ever  come  into  existence.  They 
are  both  the  results  of  a  freedom  protracted  after  the  age  of 
purity  had  departed,  when  the  life  of  primitive  holiness  had 
declined,  and  the  ears  of  many  had  been  turned  away  from 
the  truth  and  turned  unto  fables.1  The  course  of  that 
Church  from  the  seventh  century  onward  was  one  of  dete- 
rioration, until  the  fall  of  Constantinople  in  the  fifteenth 
century  sealed  the  fate  of  the  Eastern  Empire  and  placed 
the  Church  in  a  state  of  fixedness.  This  event  occurred  at 
a  time  when  the  Greek  Church  seemed  nearly  prepared  for 
the  adoption  of  errors  w^hich  would  have  determined  its 
character  for  centuries.  Had  its  independence  survived 
another  hundred  years,  it  would  have  had  its  Reformation 
and  its  Council  of  Trent.  Mohammedanism  had  at  least 
this  beneficent  effect — for  which,  under  the  guidance  of 
the  Great  Head  of  the  Church,  it  may  have  been  intended 
— of  saving  the  Mother  Church  of  the  East  from  commit- 
ting itself  by  the  decisions  of  a  Council  to  manifold  and 
grievous  errors.  This  happy  result  was  realized  at  a  much 
earlier  date  among  the  other  portions  of  the  Eastern  Church 
which  were  severed  from  Catholic  communion  about  the 
middle  of  the  fifth  century,  and  fell  under  the  sway  of  Mo- 
hammedanism within  two  centuries  afterwards.  It  is  to 

1  2  Tim.  4:  4. 


56  VISIT    TO    THB 

them,  therefore,  that  we  are  to  look  for  the  truest  exhibi- 
tions of  primitive  usage  and  discipline.  Nor  are  we  to 
be  turned  aside  from  surveying  them  by  any  suspicion  of 
their  heterodoxy  in  that  matter  of  faith  upon  which  they 
separated  from  the  Orthodox  Communion.  Even  admitting 
that  they  hold  a  heresy  with  regard  to  the  nature  of  Christ, 
(which  I  do  not,)  this  surely  does  not  invalidate  their 
testimony  upon  any  other  point,  since  in  nothing  else  does 
it  appear  that  they  have  departed  from  the  faith  or  practice 
of  the  ancient  Church.  As  we  proceed  we  shall  find  that 
this  testimony  is  of  great  importance  and  value. 

I  was  struck  at  Edrenes  with  the  demeanor  of  the 
people  towards  me  after  they  once  found  that  I  was  a  Chris- 
tian. Till  that  moment  most  of  them  avoided  me,  and  ran 
away  when  I  called  them.  But  as  soon  as  they  learned  my  real 
character,  they  became  very  communicative  and  clung  to 
me,  as  if  my  presence  conferred  a  favor.  1  have  often 
observed  this  feeling  among  the  Christian  peasantry  of  the 
interior,  The  voice  of  sympathy  and  kindness  is  so  strange 
to  them,  that  when  they  hear  it  from  the  lips  of  a  foreigner, 
whom,  because  he  is  a  Frank,  they  imagine  to  be  respectable 
and  powerful,  they  seem  as  if  they  could  never  have  enough 
of  it.  They  feel  a  kind  of  security  in  his  presence,  a 
pleasure  mingled  with  surprise  at  meeting  with  one  who  is 
a  Christian  and  yet  free  from  the  bondage  and  oppression 
which  in  their  minds  are  inseparably  associated  with  the 
profession  of  their  religion.  Why  is  it  that  these  poor,  op- 
pressed men,  uninstructed  as  they  are  in  the  faith  and  duties 
of  Christianity,  do  not  seek  a  relief  from  their  burdens  by 
embracing  the  religion  of  their  masters?  I  believe  that  the 
true  reason  is  to  be  found  in  the  preservation  among  them 
of  one  of  the  ancient  traits  of  Christianity,  viz.,  the  value 
which  they  put  upon  Baptism  as  the  introduction  to  the 
Christian  covenant,  to  the  privileges  and  hopes  of  the  Gos- 
pel, the  belief  which  they  have  that  they  were  made  Chris- 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  57 

tians  in  this  Holy  Sacrament,  that  they  were  sealed  and  con- 
firmed in  the  faith  of  Christianity  almost  from  the  hour  of 
their  birth.  Mingled  with  this  is  another  feeling  not  un- 
common among  them,  and  derived  like  the  other  from  the 
ancient  Church :  I  mean  a  fearful,  though,  in  their  unin- 
structed  state,  a  vague  view  of  the  horrid  consequences  of 
apostacy  and  excommunication.  They  think  that  the  state 
of  no  man,  Mohammedan  or  Pagan,  is  so  dreadful  as  his 
who  forsakes  the  faith  of  Christianity ;  that  for  him  there 
remains  only  a  certain  fearful  looking  for  of  judgment  and 
fiery  indignation.1 

These  feelings  are  sufficient  to  make  them  contented 
with  their  religion;  but  the  sanctifying  influences  of  that 
religion  are  so  benumbed,  that  it  does  not  make  them  con- 
tented with  their  lot.  Hence  it  is  that  they  (I  speak  of  the 
peasantry  of  the  interior)  are  generally  unhappy,  grumbling 
and  repining  at  their  state,  instead  of  bearing  it  with  holy 
fortitude,  cringing  and  despondent,  selfish  and  inhospitable. 
They  deserve,  however,  our  pity  more  than  our  blame,  our 
sympathy  rather  than  our  scorn.  The  reason  why  they  are 
thus  degraded  in  character  is  that  they  have  persevered  in 
the  faith  of  their  fathers.  It  is  because  they  are  Christians 

1  Heb.  10:  27. — I  may  here  add  that  in  Constantinople,  where  infi- 
delity and  neglect  of  the  ordinances  of  religion  abound,  this  fear  of  aposta- 
cy prevails  less  than  in  the  interior,  and  consequently  conversions  to  Mo- 
hammedanism are  not  unknown,  though  by  no  means  common.  In 
every  instance  which  has  come  to  my  knowledge,  the  motive  was  notori- 
ously a  mercenary  one.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  I  may  say  that  I  have 
also  in  mind  cases  of  a  very  different  character — cases  in  which  Christians 
have  been  accused  before  Mohammedan  magistrates  of  having  promised 
to  become  Mussulmans,  and  have  shown  either  the  falseness  of  the  accu- 
sation or  their  penitence  by  submitting  to  repeated  torture  and  finally 
to  death  rather  than  abjure  their  religion.  There  have  been  at  least  two 
instances  of  this  kind  in  Constantinople  within  six  years,  one  of  them  the 
last  year  (1843).  Both  the  sufferers  were  young  men  and  Armenians. 
The  first  case  was  in  1838. 


58  VISIT    TO    THE 

that  they  are  so  ground  to  the  dust,  for  no  one  can  fail  to 
observe  how  different  in  general  is  the  treatment  of  the 
Mohammedan  peasantry,  though  they  also  suffer  severely. 
It  is  because  they  are  Christians,  that  they  have  endured  the 
weight  of  oppression  for  centuries,  and  it  is  this  oppression 
which  has  gradually  destroyed  in  them  manliness  and 
energy  of  character.  Never  was  there  a  people  to  whom, 
even  for  the  life  that  now  is,  the  joys  and  consolations,  the 
strength  and  peace  of  religion  were  more  necessary  ;  never 
was  there  one  who  seemed  as  a  body  more  destitute  of  these 
legitimate  blessings  of  Christianity.  And  yet  I  would  not 
deny  that  there  are  some  among  them  who  suffer  with  a 
higher  sense  of  the  dignity  of  their  calling  as  confessors  for 
Christ,  who  rejoice  that  they  are  counted  worthy  to  suffer 
shame  for  his  name,  and  who  are  sustained  by  the  cheering 
hope  that,  if  they  are  faithful  unto  death,  their  reward  will 
be  great  in  heaven.  I  believe,  I  know,  that  there  are  men 
of  this  character  among  them.  Let  us  not  then  despise 
these  little  ones,  though  they  be  as  babes  in  Christ;  but 
let  us  rather  pray  for  them  that  their  faith  fail  not.  Let  us 
strengthen  them  by  our  timely  sympathy.  Let  us  impart  to 
them  of  our  fulness.  Let  us  make  known  to  them,  by 
legitimate  modes  and  efforts,  the  true  nature  of  the  faith 
in  which  they  stand.  Let  us  restore  to  them,  if  the  Lord 
will  deign  so  far  to  bless  our  means,  the  joy  and  hope,  the 
fulness  and  strength  of  the  Gospel. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  59 


CHAPTER    V. 

Departure  from  Edrenes. — Armenian  Monastery. — The  Road. — Kurdish 
Tents. — The  Occupants. — Kurdish  Chief. — His  Reception. — His  Life. 
— Presents  in  the  East. — Eastern  Character. — Famine. — Espionage. — 
Emigrants. — Turkish  Policy. — The  Road. — Dangers. — How  to  be  met. 

FROM  the  Church  I  returned  to  the  Ayan's  house,  and 
found  every  thing  ready  for  my  departure.  He  had  provided 
for  me  two  stout  mountaineers,  who,  with  their  guns  slung 
upon  their  backs,  trudged  smartly  on  before  us  as  we  started. 
I  had  requested  that  they  might  be  mounted,  but  no  horses 
were  to  be  had,  and  the  event  proved  that  it  was  unnecessary, 
for  they  kept  in  advance  of  us  most  of  the  day.  Shortly 
after  leaving  Edrenes,  we  passed  near  a  place  called  Sis, 
where  we  observed  some  more  ancient  fortifications.  Close 
by  is  an  Armenian  monastery,  which  time  would  not  allow 
me  to  visit.  For  a  while  we  travelled  among  the  hills  along 
the  base  of  Reuse  Dagh,  or  Bald  Mountain,  so  called  from 
its  barren  summit,  where  the  Kurds  in  summer  pasture  their 
flocks.  It  is  one  of  three  mountains  on  the  South  side  of 
the  plain,  and  gives  rise  to  theKizzil  Irmak,  or  Red  River, 
the  largest  and  longest  stream  of  Asia  Minor.  We  then 
plunged  into  interminable  pine  forests,  and  soon  after  came 
upon  a  group  of  Kurdish  tents  pitched  in  a  little  green  nook 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  The  Kavass,  instead  of  avoid- 
ing them,  led  the  way  directly  towards  them,  and  dismounted 
before  the  principal  tent.  We  followed  his  example,  just  as 
the  old  man,  the  Patriarch  of  the  tribe,  came  out  to  meet  us. 


60  VISIT    TO    THE 

He  was  evidently  alarmed  at  the  sight  of  the  Kavass,  but 
recovered  himself  sufficiently  to  bid  us  welcome.  We 
entered  his  tent  and  seated  ourselves  on  the  carpet,  while 
the  old  woman,  his  wife,  hastened  to  bring  out  her  rustic 
fare  of  cream  and  milk  and  bread  and  yo-6ort,  and  spread 
them  before  us.  His  son,  a  man  of  thirty-five,  of  noble 
stature,  but  of  most  malign  and  ferocious  aspect,  led  about 
the  horses,  and  his  daughters  hid  themselves  behind  the 
family  chattels  with  which  the  tent  was  crowded,  and  kept 
up  an  incessant  tittering  whenever  any  of  us  caught  sight  of 
their  brown  faces  or  bright  black  eyes.  The  old  man 
himself  sat  near  us,  and  his  eye  involuntarily  glanced  at  our 
weapons  and  at  our  luggage  with  that  quick  and  wild  expres- 
sion of  cupidity  which  always  marks  a  predatory  Kurd. 
But  he  put  a  restraint  on  himself  and  endeavored  to  appear 
as  if  he  were  taking  no  notice  of  our  property.  He  uttered 
some  extravagant  eulogiums  upon  the  Sultan  and  the  Pasha, 
and  declared  his  own  fidelity  to  them  in  the  most  obsequious 
terms,  forgetful  apparently  that  it  was  only  a  year  ago  that 
the  Pasha  marched  an  army  against  him  and  forced  him  into 
submission.  The  presence  of  the  Kavass  gave  him  an  oppor- 
tunity of  showing  his  new-born  loyalty,  which  he  did  not 
fail  to  express  by  the  most  earnest  protestations.  That 
worthy  officer,  however,  gave  him  little  credit  for  his 
asseverations,  for  we  had  no  sooner  mounted  and  rode  away 
from  the  tents  than  he  began  to  relate  how  this  was  one  of 
the  most  notorious  characters  of  a  murderous  band  of  Kurds, 
and  that  he  would  throw  off  his  allegiance  to-morrow  if  he 
dared. 

In  the  afternoon  we  emerged  from  the  woods,  and  soon 
reached  the  solitary  dwelling  of  Pasha  Oglou,  (son  of  a 
Pasha,)  the  Kurdish  chief  to  whom  the  Governor  of  Kara 
Hissar  had  commended  me.  He  was  ruler  of  the  country 
under  the  Governor,  and  had  been  stationed  in  this  wild 
region  to  keep  hie  refractory  brethren  in  order.  Though 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  61 

an  old  and  tried  friend  of  the  Government,  he  was  a  Kurd 
throughout,  free,  generous,  open,  wild,  with  no  idea  of  the 
value  of  human  life  and  no  fear  for  his  own.  This,  however, 
is  not  the  character  of  Kurds  in  general,  but  only  of  the 
better  sort,  the  Kurdish  gentlemen.  The  lower  classes,  and 
especially  the  nomadic  Kurds,  are  mean,  treacherous,  and 
often  cowardly  pilferers.  Pasha  Oglou  received  us  in  his 
solitary  habitation  with  all  his  hearty  Kurdish  hospitality, 
and  set  before  us  his  delicious  Kurdish  dishes,  kaimak1  and 
honey,  mulberries  stewed  in  honey,  and  other  luxuries  of  a 
rural  life.  In  the  evening  he  regaled  us  with  stories  of  the 
mountaineers,  and  talked  of  his  management  of  them,  in  the 
same  manner  that  a  fearless  hunter  might  talk  of  chasing 
tigers  and  taming  wild  boars.  He  had  an  evident  relish  for 
the  amusement,  and  was  about  going  into  the  mountains  to 
spend  the  summer  months  among  his  unruly  subjects.  He 
seemed  to  know  their  habits'  and  their  manners  perfectly, 
and  depended  upon  his  own  superior  possession  of  them,  for 
inspiring  awe  and  obedience.  When  I  hinted  that  his  life 
might  be  in  danger  among  such  lawless  men,  he  intimated 
in  reply  that  it  would  give  him  sincere  pleasure  to  have 
them  try  him.  The  prospect  of  a  little  excitement  appeared 
to  give  him  unmingled  gratification,  and  he  laughed  heartily 
at  the  thought  of  it.  All  this  time  the  fire  was  burning 
brightly  on  the  hearth  of  an  enormous  chimney  at  one  end 
of  the  apartment  where  we  were  seated,  the  chief  with  some 
of  his  followers,  occupying  one  side,  and  myself  with  the 
Kavass  the  other.  We  had  no  light  but  the  merry  blaze  of 
the  fire,  which  threw  its  beams  around  on  hardy  and  sun- 
browned  men,  the  blackened  roof,  the  armor  on  the  wall, 
and  penetrated  deep  into  the  recesses  of  the  stable  which 
formed  more  than  half  the  apartment.  We  slept  where  we 

1  Coagulated  cream,  produced  by  simmering  fresh  milk  over  a  slo\y 
fire. 

4 


62  VISIT    TO    THE 

sat,  excepting  the  chief,  who  retired  to  his  family  apartments 
in  another  building.  As  the  evening  stole  on,  one  after 
another  stretched  themselves  upon  the  carpet,  arid  fell  asleep, 
and  when  all  but  myself  had  sunk  into  slumber  I  seized  the 
opportunity  to  make  some  hasty  notes  of  the  adventures  of 
the  day,  and  after  commending  myself  to  the  care  of  Him 
who  '  compasseth  our  path  and  our  lying  down,  and  is  ac- 
quainted with  all  our  ways,'1  I  laid  my  head  upon  my 
saddle,  which  served  the  double  purpose  of  a  seat  by  day  and 
a  pillow  by  night,  and  joined  the  general  slumber! 

Early  the  next  morning  I  bade  adieu  to  the  chief,  after 
putting  into  his  hand  enough  to  remunerate  him  for  his  hos- 
pitality. He  drew  back  with  an  expression  of  anger  when 
I  proffered  it,  and  asked  what  it  meant.  I  saw  that  I  had 
mistaken  my  man,  and  instantly  changing  my  purpose,  re- 
quested him  to  divide  it  among  his  servants  who  had  waited 
upon  me.  He  accepted  it  at  once,  and  his  face,  which  wore 
a  terrible  frown,  cleared  up  as  suddenly  as  it  had  clouded. — 
Whether  he  put  any  part  of  it  in  his  own  pocket  after  I  had 
gone,  it  would  perhaps  be  wrong  to  conjecture,  but  such 
practices  are  not  uncommon  among  Eastern  gentry,  who 
would  feel  it  the  height  of  insult  to  appear  to  accept  pay  for 
their  hospitality.  I  have  often  found  it  best  to  carry  presents 
for  such  casuists,  and  count  as  recompense  what  they  re^ 
ceived  as  a  memento.  Sometimes  they  could  go  so  far  as 
to  ask  for  a  present,  and  this  when  the  object  of  their  re- 
quest was  worth  ten  times  all  the  services  they  had  rendered. 
In  this  way  I  have  often  parted  with  the  necessaries  of  my 
voyage  for  the  sake  of  avoiding  offence,  and  at  other  times 
have  kept  them  concealed  lest  they  should  be  asked  for. — 
This  polite  kind  of  robbery  is  especially  common  among  the 
Kurds,  who  cannot  overcome  their  native  desire  for  the  goods 
of  others,  even  when  they  do  not  feel  at  liberty  to  take  them 
by  force. 

1  Ps.  139 :  3 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  63 

We  reached  Zara,  a  large  village  of  about  500  houses, 
early  in  the  day.  On  the  road,  which  lay  first  among  the 
hills  and  afterwards  through  a  valley,  we  crossed  the  Kizzil 
Irmak  twice,  or  rather  a  branch  of  it,  for  the  main  ri\er 
comes  in  opposite  Zara.  A  brother  of  Pasha  Oglou  accom- 
panied us  on  our  journey.  He  was  a  noble  young  Kurd  of 
the  better  sort,  and  proved  himself  a  very  pleasant  and  cheer- 
ful companion.  It  is  refreshing  to  the  spirit  of  a  Western 
man,  especially  perhaps  to  an  American,  to  see  among  the 
oppressed  races  of  Turkey,  one  who  talks  freely  and  ani- 
matedly as  if  he  had  nobody  to  fear.  It  is  like  a  cup  of  cold 
water  in  the  dreary,  monotonous  wilderness  of  minds  and 
hearts  trodden  down,  crushed,  and  seared  by  oppression.  I 
never  met  with  such  a  one  that  my  spirits  were  not  exhil- 
arated, and  that  I  did  not  feel  the  contrast  with  the  silent  and 
sombre  mood  that  pervades  the  interior  of  Turkey.  Humani- 
ty there  presents  itself  to  the  mind  under  such  images  as  a 
carcass  going  to  decay  in  the  desert,  or  a  mighty  ship  rotting 
in  the  still  ocean ;  and  I  always  felt  a  sensible  relief  when 
my  journey  led  me  away  from  it  for  a  time,  to  mingle  in  the 
wild  and  free  life  of  the  Kurds. "  Happily  in  the  present  in- 
stance we  had  nothing  to  fear  from  those  other  traits  which 
generally  accompany  this  vvildness  and  freedom,  for  we  were 
well  guarded  by  the  presence  of  four  armed  men,  two  of 
whom,  the  Kavass  and  the  young  Kurd,f were  representatives 
of  the  governors  of  the  country.  Without  them  the  journey 
might  have  been  difficult,  for  we  met  with  several  bands  of 
ruffian-looking  fellows  whom  one  would  not  wish  to  meet 
alone. 

Arrived  at  Zara,  we  found  the  little  town  almost  deserted. 
Of  its  2500  inhabitants  not  a  hundred  seemed  to  have  re- 
mained. We  rode  through  its  silent  streets,  meeting  here 
and  there  a  small  group  of  men  who  gave  us  no  salutation, 
and  looked  at  us  in  gloomy  silence  when  we  inquired  for 
lodgings.  We  asked  for  the  Agha  of  the  place.  Some  one 


64  VISIT    TO    THE 

replied  that  he  had  abandoned  his  office  and  fled.  We  in- 
quired for  the  Kiahya;  he  too  had  disappeared.  At  length 
we  found  the  Kiahya's  deputy,  but  as  soon  as  we  came  in 
sight  of  him,  he  attempted  to  run  away  from  us.  One  of 
our  party  pursued  after  and  caught  him,  but  neither  promises 
nor  threats  could  prevail  upon  him  to  listen  to  us.  His  only 
reply  was,  "  There  is  nothing  to  eat."  The  shops  were  shut 
in  the  street.  We  passed  a  blacksmith's  cell  which  was  open. 
The  implements  of  his  trade  were  lying  about  and  his  ham- 
mer was  upon  the  anvil,  but  no  one  was  there.  We  knocked 
at  the  doors  of  several  of  the  most  respectable  looking  dwell- 
ings, but  no  one  answered.  We  attempted  to  enter,  but  they 
were  locked.  At  length  a  female  voice  inquired  from  a  lat- 
tice, what  we  wanted.  We  replied,  "  Rest  and  food."  The 
voice  answered,  "  We  have  nothing  to  eat."  After  travers- 
ing the  whole  town,  and  inquiring  of  the  few  stragglers  that 
we  met  skulking  along  the  walls  or  attempting  to  run  away 
at  our  approach,  we  came  to  an  Armenian  house  where  the 
door  was  open.  Without  any  ado  we  walked  in  and  seated 
ourselves.  When  the  host  appeared,  I  told  him  that  we  were 
hungry  and  must  have  something  to  eat.  He  replied  that 
they  had  nothing  for  themselves,  that  the  town  was  depopu- 
lated by  famine,  and  most  of  the  inhabitants  had  fled  for  their 
lives.  I  told  him  to  bring  us  what  he  could  find  and  he 
should  not  go  unrewarded.  After  some  hours'  delay,  he 
succeeded  in  obtaining  for  us  a  comfortable  breakfast.  The 
ravenous  people  gathered  around  us  and  seemed  ready  to 
seize  it  by  force.  The  more  respectable  invited  themselves 
to  partake  with  us.  As  we  threw  down  morsels  of  bone 
that  we  had  gnawed,  the  greedy  multitude  scrambled  for  them 
and  gnawed  them  again  like  dogs.  We  made  a  light  repast, 
and  distributed  the  remainder  among  the  expecting  crowd. 

At  Zara  I  dismissed  my  guard,  the  Kavass,  the  Kurdish 
Bey,  and  the  two  mountaineers  of  Edrenes.  They  had 
served  me  for  nothing,  but  it  would  have  been  quite  out  of 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  65 

order  not  to  have  given  them  in  presents  more  than  I  would 
have  stipulated  to  give  them  in  wages.  However,  they  had 
served  me  well,  and  had  proved  themselves  pleasant  com- 
panions, and  I  would  rather  hear  the  hearty  benedictions  of  a 
man  who  feels  that  he  is  amply  rewarded,  than  the  sullen 
farewell  which  commonly  follows  a  niggardly  recompense. 
Our  last  act  of  intercourse  was  to  prepare  letters  for  Pasha 
Oglou  and  the  Ayan  of  Edrenes,  informing  them  of  my 
safe  arrival  at  Zara,  the  first  town  in  the  Pashalik  of  Sivas. 
For  this  purpose  we  called  in  the  Imam  of  the  place,  the 
only  one  in  the  village  competent  to  perform  the  duty.  He 
had  remained  at  his  post  in  spite  of  the  famine,  and  while 
all  other  business  was  suspended,  still  gathered  the  starving 
inhabitants  to  their  five  diurnal  prayers.'  He  wrote  in  my 
name,  and  I  afterwards  sealed  the  letters  with  my  Turkish 
seal,  which  I  always  carried  with  me  for  such  purposes. 
The  Ayan  of  Edrenes  had  been  instructed  to  send  back  to 
Kara  Hissar  information  of  my  having  passed  beyond  the 
border  of  the  province  of  Trebizond,  which  information 
must  be  certified  under  my  own  seal.  It  would  then  be- 
come the  duty  of  the  Governor  of  Kara  Hissar  to  forward 
the  intelligence  to  the  Pasha  at  Trebizond,  who,  in  his  turn, 
must  forward  it  to  Constantinople.  Beyond  Zara  the  Pasha 
of  the  province  of  Sivas  would  be  responsible  ;  and  thus, 
from  one  province  to  another,  the  Turkish  government 
laways  have  it  in  their  power  to  trace  a  traveller  from 

1  The  Imam  is  the  minister  of  Mohammedanism,  and  his  duties  are 
not  unlike  those  of  the  Christian  Priest.  He  conducts  the  services  of  the 
congregation,  whence  his  name  of  Imam,  or  leader  ;  performs  the  rites  of 
circumcision,  marriage  and  burial ;  instructs  the  children  of  the  congrega- 
tion, and  visits  at  their  houses.  The  Five  Hours  of  Prayer,  viz.,  at  Day- 
dawn,  Noon,  two  and  a  half  hours  before  Sunset,  Sunset,  and  one  and  a 
half  hours  after  Sunset,  are  evidently  imitated  from  the  ancient  hours  of 
the  Church,  which  were  first  five,  and  afterwards  increased  to  seven. 


66  VISIT    TO    THE 

one  end  of  the  empire  to  the  other ;  a  provision  as  beneficial 
for  the  traveller  as  for  themselves,  since  he  can  thereby  con- 
sole himself  with  the  prospect  of  being  heard  of  if  he  should 
suddenly  disappear.  It  is,  or  was,  the  duty  of  the  provincial 
authorities  to  send  their  reports  of  travellers  monthly  to  Con- 
stantinople. In  some  parts  of  the  country  this  was  strictly 
attended  to ;  in  others  it  was  almost  entirely  neglected. 

We  had  time,  before  the  day  closed,  to  leave  Zara,  and 
reach  Yarasa,  a  village  four  hours  distant  from  Z.,  and  con- 
taining about  sixty  families,  Mussulman  and  Armenian. 
The  Armenian  population  in  this  district  is  large,  and  it  is 
one  of  the  principal  foyers  from  which  the  capital  is  supplied 
with  servants  and  laborers.  The  next  morning  we  passed 
a  village  called  Godin,  where  most  of  the  men  wore  the 
dress  used  by  the  porters  in  Constantinople.  It  seemed  as 
if  I  had  seen  them  all  before,  and  perhaps  it  was  not  far 
from  the  truth,  for  they  had  all  served  in  the  city,  and  had 
returned  home  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  their  labors.  Thirty 
of  their  young  men  were  just  about  starting  for  Constanti- 
nople in  a  body,  with  the  expectation  of  spending  a  few 
years  in  the  business  which  their  fathers  had  found  so  pro- 
fitable. The  old  men  were,  altogether,  a  fine-looking  race, 
and  evidently  well  to  do  in  the  world.  They  did  not  receive 
me,  however,  with  all  the  hospitality  that  I  could  wish  ;  and 
I  had  to  reproach  them  with  the  fact,  that  they  had  gained 
handfuls  of  piastres  from  me  at  Constantinople,  and  now 
would  not  give  me  the  poor  pittance  of  a  breakfast,  which  I 
was  willing  to  pay  for.  Their  inhospitality  arose  from  the 
fear  that  I  might  consider  the  breakfast  as  thrown  into  the 
account  of  former  payments ;  and  that  fear  was  increased 
by  the  circumstance  that  I  had  fallen  into  company  with  a 
Kavass  who  had  overtaken  us  on  the  road,  and  now  appear- 
ed in  the  character  of  an  escort,  to  the  poor  villagers.  This 
class  of  people  are  not  in  the  habit  of  paying  much  for  food 


SYRIAN   CHURCH.  67 

and  lodgings,  unless  it  be  in  cuffs  and  blows,  a  currency  but 
too  well  known  in  Turkey.  The  Christians  suffer  more  in 
this  way  than  the  Mohammedans,  and  hence  they  appear,  at 
first  sight,  more  inhospitable.  The  approach  of  a  Kavass 
or  a  Tartar  is  a  signal  to  close  their  hearts,  and  to  assume  a 
gloomy  and  sullen  silence,  or  to  retreat  out  of  sight.  The 
poor  Kiahya's  office  at  such  times  is  no  sinecure,  for  he  has 
to  bear  the  threats  and  blows  of  the  great  man  in  behalf  of 
the  whole  community.  I  took  care,  however,  that  nothing 
of  the  kind  should  be  administered  on  the  presenfoccasion, 
and  finally  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  breakfast  through  the 
gentler  mercies  of  the  women,  who  were  here,  as  ever,  more 
ready  to  listen  to  and  relieve  the  wants  of  others.  The  circum- 
stance of  my  having  come  from  Constantinople  served  rather 
to  excite  than  to  dampen  their  interest,for  they  had  innumera  . 
b!e  questions  to  ask  about  their  fathers,  husbands,  brothers, 
and  sons  who  were  absent,  and  seemed  deeply  disappointed 
when  they  found  I  had  nothing  to  tell  them.  They  did  not 
consider  that  though  a  man  could  hardly  go  from  Godin 
without  carrying  news  of  every  body  in  the  place,  it  was 
quite  possible  for  one  to  come  from  Constantinople  without 
taking  commands  for  Godin. 

We  found  the  whole  country,  from  Zara  to  Sivas,  a  dis- 
tance of  thirty-six  miles,  suffering  from  the  effects  of  famine. 
There  had  been  no  rain  the  preceding  year,  and  all  the 
grain  which  should  have  been  preserved  for  seed  had  been 
consumed  by  the  famishing  inhabitants.  This  year  the 
rains  were  abundant,  but  they  fell  upon  uncultivated  soil. 
The  people  had  no  grain  to  put  into  the  ground.  Their 
means  had  been  spent  in  providing  for  their  families  and 
their  cattle,  and  the  price  of  wheat  had  increased  ten-fold. 
The  peasants  of  Godin  had  fared  better,  as  their  gains  in  the 
capital  had  enabled  them  to  support  themselves  during 
the  scarcity,  and  they  were  now  rejoicing  in  the  prospect  of 
a  luxurious  harvest.  But  the  other  villages,  and  Zara  es- 


OS  VISIT    TO    THE 

pecially,  seemed  likely  to  become  entirely  depopulated. 
The  people  were  abroad  in  the  fields  collecting  weeds  and 
herbs  for  food.  Their  wan  and  haggard  appearance  was 
enough  of  itself  to  show  that  they  had  suffered  severely. 

Such  instances  as  this  prove  most  clearly  the  improvi- 
dent spirit  both  of  people  and  Government  in  Turkey. 
Why  were  not  the  waters  of  the  Kizzil  Irmak,  which 
flow  close  by  the  famishing  villages,  and  through  a  plain 
country,  turned  off  to  irrigate  the  thirsty  land  1  Or  why 
did  not  the  Government  supply  the  peasants  with  the 
means  of  purchasing  seed,  or,  at  least,  relieve  them  from 
their  taxes  that  they  might  purchase  for  themselves  ?  No 
one  could  answer  these  simple  questions.  No  measures 
had  been  taken  to  avert  or  remedy  the  evil.  The  people 
sat  down  in  despair  as  soon  as  the  windows  of  heaven  were 
closed,  and  the  Government  looked  quietly  on,  while  the 
peasants  were  starving  for  want  of  bread  or  flying  to  other 
regions.  The  consequence  will  be,  that  those  who  remain 
will  be  taxed  more  heavily  to  supply  the  deficiency  of  the 
retreating  population.  This  will  bring  new  distresses  and 
new  flights,  until  the  smiling  country  is  left  a  wasted  desert. 
Such  may  not  be  the  fate  of  this  particular  district,  where 
the  richness  of  the  soil  may  attract  new  settlers,  but  it  has 
been  the  fate  of  other  portions  of  the  country  hardly  less 
favored  in  climate  and  productions,  and  the  evil  has  fallen 
upon  them  under  precisely  similar  circumstances. 

Most  of  our  way  from  Zara  to  Sivas  was  over  a  rich 
meadow  bordering  the  Kizzil  Irmak.  We  passed  several 
villages  and  saw  wild-fowl  in  abundance,  geese,  ducks,  and 
plovers,  which  seemed  never  to  have  been  molested  in  their 
quiet  retreats.  Basil  made  two  attempts  to  shoot  a  goose 
with  his  pistols,  but  although  the  game  allowed  itself  to  be 
approached  almost  near  enough  to  be  caught  in  the  old- 
fashioned  way  of  putting  salt  on  its  tail,  the  exploit  was  not 
successful,  and  we  might  have  felt  in  our  own  persons  the 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  69 

evil  effects  of  the  famine,  if  there  had  not  been  two  little 
lakes  near  Yarasa,  which,  to  console  us  for  the  loss  of  our 
fowl,  supplied  us  with  an  excellent  dinner  of  fish.  The 
only  drawback  was  that  the  salt  which  was  wanting  to  catch 
the  first,  was  not  present  to  season  the  latter. 

The  Kavass  who  had  overtaken  us  on  the  road,  belonged 
to  the  Pasha  of  Sivas,  and  had  been  to  collect  taxes  from 
some  of  the  Kurds  of  Reuse  Dagh  who  fell  within  his  prov- 
ince. If  his  own  story  was  true,  it  had  proved  an  unprofit- 
able business,  for  the  Kurds  had  received  him  in  a  very  cool 
manner,  and  when  he  spoke  of  taxes,  had  pointed  their 
guns  at  him  and  bade  him  decamp,  which  he  confessed  he 
thought  it  prudent  to  do.  He  expressed  great  surprise  at 
our  having  come  safe  through  the  land,  but  consoled  us  with 
the  assurance  that  the  danger  was  nothing  compared  with 
that  which  lay  before  us;  that  a  part  of  the  road  was  so  be- 
set with  robbers  as  to  be  absolutely  impassable,  and  that  for 
the  rest  of  it  we  had  about  an  even  chance  of  life  and 
death.  I  suspected  at  the  moment  that  he  was  trying  to 
beguile  the  tediousness  of  his  own  journey  by  imposing 
upon  our  credulity  or  our  fears,  but  when  we  reached  Sivas 
his  stories  proved  only  a  faithful  narrative  of  the  rumors 
that  were  prevailing  there. 

These  stories  for  a  time  tried  my  courage,  or  rather  my 
faith.  Slavish  fear  asked  whether  it  were  worth  while  to 
run  the  risk  when  all  the  probability  was  that  I  should  not 
be  able  to  reach  Mesopotamia.  Faith  answered — '  You 
cannot  turn  back  without  a  trial.'  So  I  determined  to  go 
forward.  Report  said  that  most  of  the  country  between 
Sivas  and  the  Taurus,  a  distance  of  four  or  five  days'  jour- 
ney, was  infested  by  Kurds,  who  had  come  up  from  their 
winter  quarters,  and  were  feeding  their  flocks  on  the  high 
lands  south  of  Sivas.  Direful  tales  of  robberies  and  mur- 
ders were  rife,  and  travelling  was  almost  entirely  suspend- 
ed. As  is  common  in  such  cases,  the  truth  was  doubtless 

4* 


70  VISIT    TO    THE 

multiplied  many  fold.  To  learn  the  real  state  of  things,  I 
applied  to  the  Pasha  for  information  and  advice.  He  told 
me  that  it  was  very  true  that  the  country  was  in  a  bad  con- 
dition, that  he  had  stationed  soldiers  at  several  villages 
along  the  road,  and  that  the  people  in  other  places  had 
been  ordered  to  turn  out  and  accompany  travellers,  that  I 
could  avail  myself  of  the  same  means  of  defence  as  were 
provided  for  others,  but  he  would  give  me  no  advice  on  the 
subject,  that  I  knew  my  own  business,  and  whether  it  was 
of  sufficient  importance  to  justify  me  in  incurring  the  dan- 
ger. I  asked  for  a  bouyouroultou,  but  he  was  unwilling  to 
give  me  one,  thinking  perhaps  that  it  would  increase  his  re- 
sponsibility for  my  safe  conduct.  But  I  insisted  upon  hav- 
ing it,  and  obtained  it.  It  was,  however,  of  little  import- 
ance, for  he  took  care  to  word  it  so  carefully  that  it  amount- 
ed to  nothing  more  than  an  order  for  the  regular  escort  from 
village  to  village. 

One  is  often  at  a  loss  how  to  act  under  such  circum- 
stances. The  safest  rule  is  to  think  little  of  danger,  for 
that  is  a  mere  contingency,  and  is  in  the  hands  of  God. 
He  can  as  easily  carry  us  through  great  dangers  as  through 
a  path  where  none  appear.  And  when  we  remember  the 
numberless  casualties  to  which  we  are  liable  under  the 
best  apparent  circumstances,  it  should  matter  little  whether 
greater  ones  appear  or  not.  They  are  all  equally  within  the 
control  of  Him  who  ruleth  all.  The  only  question  is,  What 
is  His  will  1  and  in  determining  that,  the  least  place  is  to  be 
given  to  personal  risks  and  hazards.  What  is  His  will 
without  them,  is,  we  may  safely  conclude,  at  least  in  matters 
of  great  moment,  His  will  notwithstanding  them. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  71 


CHAPTER    VI. 

Conflict  with  the  Post-Master  at  Sivas. — Departure  from  Sivas. — Escape 
of  the  Guide. — The  Escort. — Day's  March  over  an  infested  Dis- 
trict.— Hassan  Tchelebi. — The  Kizzelbashes. — Travelling  by  Night 
— Reflections. — The  Euphrates. — Evils  resulting  from  Changes  of  Ru- 
lers.— Kharpout. — First  Sight  of  the  Syrians. — Armenian  Monasteries. 
— Syrian  Bishop. — The  Syrian  Population  of  Kharpout. 

BESIDES  the  conflict  with  myself  which  I  had  at  Sivas, 
I  had  another  with  the  post-master  which  was  still  harder 
to  bear.  He  thought  to  take  advantage  of  the  state  of  the 
roads  to  charge  me  an  exorbitant  price  for  horses.  I 
referred  the  matter  to  the  Pasha,  and  sent  with  my  servant 
the  royal  post-order.  The  Pasha  had  not  yet  left  his  harem, 
for  it  was  at  an  early  hour ;  our  sumpter  horse  was  laden, 
our  guard  was  at  the  door,  and  we  were  ready  to  mount. 
The  Pasha's  Deputy  (Kiahya  Bey)  sent  for  the  post-master 
and  read  the  order  in  his  ears,  filling  it  up  with  such  exple- 
tives as  "  You  son  of  a  dog,"  "Ass,"  and  others  unmentiona- 
ble. The  poor  post-master  stood  trembling  till  the  reading 
was  finished,  made  his  apology,  returned  to  the  post-house, 
quietly  received  his  regular  dues,  and  asked  me  for  apresenfj 
I  told  him  that  I  expected  soon  to  pass  that  way  again,  and 
if  he  behaved  himself  with  propriety  at  our  next  meeting  I 
would  not  forget  him,  but  that  under  present  circumstances 
I  could  show  him  no  favor.  I  was  glad  to  see  him  com- 
pletely humbled,  for  he  was  one  of  those  Mussulmans  who 
seem  to  think  that  they  are  never  doing  a  better  service 


72  VISIT    TO    THE 

than  when  they  are  abusing  a  Christian.  I  should  not  have 
persevered  against  him  if  I  had  not  thought  that  he  needed 
the  lesson.  From  the  moment  of  my  arrival  he  had  treated 
me  with  marked  indignity,  and  had  gone  out  of  his  way  to 
insult  and  revile  me.  The  only  reason  was,  that  he  had  an 
evil  Mussulman  temper,  and  felt  free  to  exercise  it  on  a 
Christian.  I  observed  that  it  was  only  native  Christians 
and  myself  who  suffered  in  this  way,  while  to  Turks  he  was 
civil  and  sociable.  The  first  word  which  he  uttered  when 
I  dismounted  before  the  post-house  and  asked  a  servant  to 
procure  a  bed  for  me,  were,  "  Lie  on  the  floor  ;  that  is  the 
place  for  you."  I  soon  found  that  he  was  one  of  those  wild 
beasts  in  the  shape  of  men  that  are  sometimes  met  with 
among  the  Turks,  who  are  sensible  to  nothing  but  harshness 
and  severity,  and  I  determined,  when  the  opportunity  offer- 
ed, to  teach  him  to  treat  a  Christian  with  respect.  It  may 
present  a  melancholy  view  of  human  nature,  but  so  it  is ; 
men  of  this  stamp  in  the  East  are  more  easily  affected  by 
fear  than  by  love ;  their  respect  is  more  easily  excited  by 
severity  than  by  kindness.  The  post-master,  instead  of  re- 
senting the  course  I  had  taken,  seemed  to  see  in  it  some- 
thing which  commanded  his  admiration.  He  became  at 
once  very  docile  and  attentive,  held  my  stirrup  when  I 
mounted,  and  bade  me  farewell  with  the  most  profound  obei- 
sance. Had  I  not  succeeded  in  conquering  him,  he  would 
have  been  ready  to  trample  me  under  his  feet. 

The  effect  upon  the  poor  Christians  who  had  assembled 
to  take  their  morning  cup  of  coffee  in  the  post-house,  was 
very  perceptible.  They  were  evidently  astonished  at  the 
sight  of  a  Christian  overcoming  a  Turk,  and  when  I  rose  to 
depart,  rose  themselves  in  a  body  and  remained  standing 
till  I  had  mounted.  This  was  the  most  painful  part  of  the 
scene  to  me.  I  would  rather  they  should  have  rejoiced 
over  me  as  a  brother. 

We  left  Sivas  on  the  23d  of  May,  and  travelling   South 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  73 

along  the  great  route  from  Constantinople  to  Bagdad,  reach- 
ed the  village  of  Delikli  Tash  (Cavernous  Rock,  so  called 
from  holes  in  the  rock  on  which  it  stands,)  before  evening. 
Here  the  Ayan  of  the  village  gave  us  a  house  for  the  night, 
which,  like  most  of  the  houses  in  the  village,  consisted  of  a 
family  apartment  and  a  stable.  I  was  sitting  by  the  fire,  and 
one  of  the  guard  who  was  stationed  in  my  room  for  the 
night,  was  saying  his  prayers,  when  suddenly  the  outer  door 
opened  and  the  postillion  went  out  with  his  horses.  The 
guard  suspected  his  design,  but,  like  a  true  Mussulman, 
would  not  allow  his  prayers  to  be  interrupted  by  any  sublu- 
nary concern.  But  as  soon  as  he  had  ended,  he  sprang  to 
his  feet  and  darted  out  of  the  house.  We  had  hardly  recov- 
ered from  our  amazement  at  his  sudden  departure,  before  he 
returned  leading  back  all  the  horses  but  one,  on  which  the 
postillion  had  succeeded  in  making  his  escape.  I  soon 
found  that  the  plot  had  been  concerted  beforehand,  and 
that  the  postillion  had  thrown  out  sundry  intimations  of  his 
determination  not  to  proceed  beyond  Delikli  Tash,  for  fear 
of  the  Kurds.  Fortunately,  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  he 
missed  his  way  in  going  out  of  the  village,  and  the  guard 
overtaking  him  just  as  he  was  gaining  the  main  road,  wrested 
the  rope  with  which  he  led  the  horses  from  his  hand,  and 
left  him  to  escape  with  the  one  on  which  he  rode.  The 
Ayan  supplied  me  with  a  substitute,  and  provided  me  with 
a  strong  guard  of  mounted  men,  each  armed  with  a  sword, 
gun  and  pistols,  and  some  of  them  carrying  spears.  The 
country  between  Delikli  Tash  and  Alaja  Khan,  is  a  high  ta- 
ble-land, whither  the  Kurds  resort  in  summer  to  feed  their 
flocks.  When  I  last  passed  it,  in  March,  1838,  it  was  cover- 
ed deep  with  snow.  Now  it  was  one  broad  sweep  of  ver- 
dure, in  some  parts  undulating,  in  others  stretching  away  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  but  lonely  and  desolate  from  the 
want  of  trees  and  cultivation,  and  still  more  perhaps  from 
the  gloomy  associations  connected  with  it.  We  travelled 


74  VISIT    TO    THE 

on  in  close  array  and  in  perfect  silence.  When  we  reached 
what  was  accounted  the  most  dangerous  part,  scouts  were 
sent  out  in  different  directions,  and  special  care  was  taken 
to  survey  the  country  from  every  little  eminence  that  pre- 
sented itself.  The  guards  tied  the  ends  of  their  long  taper- 
ing sleeves  together  behind  their  backs,  thus  baring  the  arm 
nearly  to  the  shoulder.  Guns  were  unslung,  and  every  man 
looked  to  his  flint  and  priming.  How  much  of  this  was 
done  with  particular  reference  to  myself  and  the  present 
expected  at  the  next  village,  1  am  unable  to  say,  and  there- 
fore will  not  magnify  the  danger  beyond  what  it  really  was, 
although  all  their  precautions  and  manner  seemed  to  say 
that  it  was,  in  their  estimation,  very  great.  It  certainly  im- 
parts a  singular  interest  to  a  day's  journey,  to  be  on  the 
lookout  every  moment  for  nine  hours,  with  the  thought  that 
at  any  moment  a  body  of  murderous  Kurds  may  appear  rush- 
ing upon  you  from  the  brow  of  a  little  hill  to  the  right,  or 
from  out  a  valley  to  the  left.  However  we  met  with  nothing 
of  the  kind,  nor  saw  any  thing  to  confirm  our  fears,  except- 
ing in  a  few  instances  a  Kurd  watching  us  from  some  low 
height,  and  when  he  saw  himself  discovered,  suddenly  dis- 
appearing. This  was  enough  to  show  that  they  were  at 
their  old  business,  and  the  result  would  doubtless  have  been 
different  had  our  number  or  means  of  defence  been  less. 
The  predatory  habits  of  the  Kurds  are  such  that  one  trav- 
eller may  pass  at  one  hour  without  seeing  any  signs  of 
them,  while  at  the  next  a  poor  passenger,  less  strongly  pro- 
tected, may  be  stripped  from  head  to  foot,  if  nothing  worse 
befalls  him. 

We  rested  at  Alaja  Khan  that  night  with  the  Governor  of 
the  village,  a  pleasant  old  Turk,  who  puzzled  himself  to  dis- 
cover the  machinery  of  a  lead  pencil,  by  which  the  ink,  as 
he  called  it,  flowed  out  upon  the  paper  as  soon  as  the  pa- 
per was  touched. 

The  next  morning  we  renewed  our  guard,  and  marched 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  75 

to  Hassan  Tchelebi,  and  thence  continued,  after  a  repast 
from  the  Governor,  who  bears  the  same  name  with  his  village, 
which  name  has  descended  from  father  to  son  since  the  days 
of  Sultan  Mourad,  who  for  some  favor  done  him,  conferred  the 
title  of  Tchelebi  (or  gentleman)  upon  the  Ayan  then  ruling 
and  made  the  government  of  the  village  hereditary  in  his 
family.  This  man  is  one  of  a  people  who  inhabit  the  coun- 
try from  Delikli  Tash  to  Kabban  Maden,  about  whom 
strange  things  are  told.  They  are  Mussulmans,  but  are 
supposed  not  to  be  Turks.  Certain  it  is  the  Turks  regard 
them  with  great  aversion,  and  say  that  they  have  abominable 
practices  which  show  them  not  to  be  true  Mussulmans. 
They  call  them  Kizzil  Bash  (Redhead),  and  as  this  is  the 
nickname  commonly  applied  to  the  Persians,  my  first  con- 
jecture was  that  they  are  descendants  of  some  colony  of 
Persians  brought  hither  by  a  Turkish  Sultan.  We  know 
that  such  colonies  were  sometimes  formed,  and  this  would 
account  sufficiently  for  the  aversion  which  the  Turks  have 
for  them.1  I  could  learn  nothing  from  themselves,  as  they 
constantly  professed  that  they  were  Mussulmans  and  nothing 
else.  A  traveller  might  pass  through  their  country  without 
noticing  any  thing  peculiar  in  their  appearance  or  manners, 
unless  it  might  be  their  rudeness  and  inhospitality.  They 
leave  their  villages  in  summer  and  live  in  tents,  and  it  is  re- 
ported that  the  Pashas  are  obliged  to  rule  them  tenderly  for 
fear  of  their  escaping  to  the  mountains. 

The  Hassan  Tchelebi  whom  I  saw  when  I  passed  through 
the  village  in  1838,  was  dead,  and  his  son,  a  man  with  a 
beard  already  grizzled,  ruled  in  his  stead.  The  whole  pop- 
ulation were  in  their  tents  about  an  hour  distant  from  their 
village.  The  new  Hassan  Tchelebi  appeared  to  great  ad- 
vantage, from  having  spent  ten  years  at  Constantinople,  the 
effect  of  which  was  very  perceptible  in  the  superiority  of  his 

1  The  hostility  of  Turks  and  Persians  is  notorious. 


76  VISIT    TO    THE 

Turkish  over  the  common  jargon  of  the  interior,  and  in  his 
peculiar  adroitness  in  asking  for  presents.  Another  Hassan 
Tchelebi,  the  heir  apparent,  about  four  years  old,  came  in 
to  peep  at  us  over  his  father's  shoulder. 

Hassan  gave  us  two  footmen  to  accompany  us  through  the 
valley  which  extends  most  of  the  way  from  his  village  to 
Hekim  Khan.  We  had  had  several  alarms  during  the  day, 
though  most  of  the  people  whom  we  met  were  Turcomans, 
who  had  come  up  from  the  parts  about  Aintab  and  Karama- 
nia  to  pasture  their  flocks  on  the  green  hills  of  the  upland 
country.  The  Kurds  about  Delikli  Tash  were  from  the 
same  quarter. 

We  saw  nothing  to  attract  our  attention  on  the  way  to 
Hekim  Khan,  (a  small  town  of  about  30  Armenian  and  150 
Mussulman  houses,)  but  a  multitude  of  wild  flowers,  among 
others  the  yellow  rose,  on  the  stony  side  of  the  valley,  and 
almond  bushes,  whose  fruit  was  bitter. 

We  slept  at  Hekim  Khan  in  the  same  coffee-shop  in  which 
I  had  breakfasted  four  years  before.  Every  thing  appeared 
as  if  I  had  left  it  but  yesterday,  even  to  the  ship  upon  the 
wall,  which  some  village  artist,  or  perchance  some  lazy  trav- 
eller, detained  for  an  hour,  had  drawn  upon  the  wall. 

We  sought  in  vain  to  obtain  a  mounted  escort  for  the 
dreary  mountains  beyond  Hekim  Khan,  and  two  stout  foot- 
men were  all  the  pedestrians  that  could  be  had.  Four  hours, 
over  hills  covered  with  oak  shrubbery  and  wild  almond  trees, 
brought  us  to  the  populous  district  of  Argaoun,  and  four 
more,  over  a  hilly  but  more  fertile  country,  to  the  Kizzil 
Bash  village  of  Suleimanieh.  Here  we  were  detained  till 
four  P.  M.  for  horses,  but  my  anxiety  to  reach  Kharpout  on 
the  morrow  determined  me  to  push  on  to  the  Euphrates. 
We  travelled  till  midnight  across  a  low  country  of  dry  hills 
of  red  and  white,  with  fertile  valleys  between.  As  night 
set  in,  we  secured  the  baggage  and  galloped  away  in  the 
light  of  the  moon. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  77 

The  district  of  Argaoun  contains  some  62  villages.  We 
passed  a  large  one  where  the  governor  of  the  district  resides, 
about  an  hour  from  Suleimanieh.  The  Kurdish  population  is 
confined  to  the  mountains  beyond,  and  though  riot,  like  their 
brethren  of  Aintab,  nomadic,  are  given  to  the  same  bad  prac- 
tices. A  day  or  two  before  we  passed,  they  had  robbed  a 
poor  postillion  returning  with  his  horses,  and  left  him  noth- 
ing but  his  skin  to  travel  home  in,  while  the  horses,  being 
the  property  of  Government,  they  allowed  to  go  as  they 
came. 

The  low  country  between  Suleimanieh  and  the  Euphra- 
tes has  no  Kurdish  population,  and  affords  no  pasturage  for 
the  nomades.  We  passed  over  it  therefore  without  a  guard, 
and  reached  the  post-house  on  the  bank  of  the  Euphrates 
just  as  night  was  turning  its  middle  point.  The  river  was 
rolling  its  dark  waters  below,  and  its  rushing  sound  harmo- 
nized solemnly,  though  not  unaptly,  with  the  train  of  my 
thoughts.  As  we  had  rode  along  at  full  speed,  my  mind  had 
been  filled  with  the  quiet  beauty  and  the  stillness  of  the 
scene.  The  moon  looking  so  calmly  upon  the  earth,  which 
seemed  (as  if  bound  by  her  influence)  resting  for  a  brief 
while  from  its  din  and  toil ;  the  sense  of  the  presence  of  God 
which  at  that  hour,  more  than  any  other,  pervades  the  soul  ; 
the  sight  of  his  power  in  the  calm,  bright  orbs  above,  and 
the  feeling  of  being  alone  with  Him  in  the  midst  of  his  cre- 
ation which  presses  in  upon  the  mind  with  a  vividness  that 
is  seldom  realized  when  the  sun  is  shining  and  the  world  is 
abroad — all  this  disposed  the  mind  to  reflection,  solemn, 
calm,  and  quiet,  like  the  scene  around.  Happy  if  at  such 
times  one  can  see  in  the  same  hand  which  has  spread  the 
heavens,  and  put  their  orbs  in  motion,  and  sustains  and 
guides  them  in  their  courses,  the  hand  which  supports  him, 
the  Being  whom  he  serves,  the  wisdom,  the  power,  and  the 
goodness  which  are  his  security  and  strength.  Happy  if  he 
can  bring  home  to  himself  from  such  a  Being,  the  promise 


78  VISIT    TO    THE 

that  not  a  hair  of  his  head  is  unnumbered  amidst  the  im- 
mensity of  created  things.  Happy  if  in  such  an  hour  he 
can  see  his  path  to  be  one  of  self-denying  duty,  and  his  pur- 
poses, though  compassed  with  infirmities,  yet  resting  in  God. 
In  my  own  mind,  the  thoughts  and  the  consolation  which 
they  brought  with  them,  were  associated  with  the  prospect 
immediately  before  me.  On  the  morrow  I  hoped  to  reach 
Kharpout,  where  was  the  first  remnant  of  the  venerable 
Church  to  which  I  was  going.  My  work  seemed  about  to 
begin,  and  the  thoughts  of  my  moonlight  ride  opened  sources 
of  courage  and  comfort  which  failed  me  not  in  the  lonely 
trials  of  many  a  coming  day.  They  were  interrupted  only 
when  we  reined  in  our  horses  on  the  brink  of  the  steep  and 
difficult  descent  which  led  down  to  the  Euphrates. 

I  was  up  again  at  early  dawn,  and,  embarked  with  horses 
and  luggage  in  the  ferry-boat,  was  crossing  the  deep  and 
rapid  stream  of  the  old  river,  which  here  rolls  its  tide 
through  a  narrow  pass  between  high  overhanging  cliffs. 
The  passage  is  effected  by  letting  the  boat  drift  upward  in 
an  eddy  until  it  strikes  the  mid-current,  when  it  is  carried 
rapidly  down,  the  men  the  meantime  plying  their  oars,  until 
it  strikes  the  eddy  on  the  opposite  side,  when  it  is  again  car- 
ried safely  to  the  landing-place.  Ascending  the  bank,  the 
traveller  finds  himself  in  the  town  of  Kabban  Maden,  fa- 
mous for  its  silver  mine.  When  I  was  here  in  1838,  the 
whole  country,  from  near  Mossoul  to  within  a  few  hours  of 
the  Black  Sea,  was  subjected  to  a  single  Pasha  resident  at 
Kharpout.  Now  it  was  divided  into  three  parts,  the  East- 
ernmost of  which,  including  Mardin,  had  been  annexed  to 
the  pashalik  of  Mossoul,  and  the  Northernmost,  called  the 
pashalik  of  Sivas,  had  been  erected  into  a  separate  province, 
extending  Southward  as  far  as  Argaoun.  Kabban  Maden, 
with  the  district  of  Argaoun,  had  been  placed  under  an- 
other Pasha  subordinate  to  the  Pasha  of  Kharpout,  and  the 
province  of  Diarbekir,  under  a  Pasha  of  its  own,  remained, 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  79 

as  before,  subject  to  the  Mushir1  of  Kharpout.  These 
changes  show  how  little  dependence  can  be  placed  upon  the 
divisions  of  provinces,  or  Sanjaks,  which  are  given  in  some 
of  the  maps.  While  I  was  in  the  country,  another  change 
took  place,  transferring  the  district  of  Jezireh,  North  of  the 
Tigris,  from  Diarbekir  to  Mossoul.  Such  changes  as  these, 
and  still  more  the  frequent  change  of  rulers,  is  enough  of 
itself  to  retard  the  progress  of  civilization,  and  reduce  the 
country  to  poverty  and  misery.  Works  begun  by  one  Pasha 
are  neglected  by  his  successor;  the  system  of  government 
is  changed,  at  least  in  its  details,  by  every  new  incumbent, 
and  the  people  are  hardly  free  from  the  extortions  of  one 
ruler  before  another,  with  an  empty  pocket  and  a  heavy 
hand,  enters  to  begin  the  same  system  of  oppression,  which 
is  always  most  severe  at  the  commencement  of  the  new 
government.  Pashas,  expecting  to  retain  their  place  but  a 
few  months  or  years,  are  tempted  to  use  all  their  opportu- 
nities for  extortion,  and  this  is  repeated  anew  with  every 
change.  The  rulers  feel  but  little  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
their  provinces,  and  have  no  encouragement,  even  if  they 
are  so  disposed,  to  commence  improvements  which  they 
cannot  hope  to  finish.  Among  all  the  causes  of  degradation 
and  decay  which  prevail  in  the  interior  of  Turkey,  this  is 
perhaps  the  most  prominent,  and  the  evil  is  aggravated,  if 
not  perpetuated,  by  the  recurrence  of  similar  changes  in 
the  heads  of  the  administration  in  the  capital.  It  is  one  of 
many  corruptions  which  seem  too  deeply  inwrought  ever  to 
be  eradicated,  and  which  throw  a  gloomy  shade  over  the 
prospects  of  Mohammedan  domination  in  Turkey. 

I  was  three  hours  in  making  my  way  through  the  deep 
gorge  in  which  the  town  of  Kabban  Maden  lies,  and  three 
more  over  the  hills  to  the  plain  of  Kharpout,  one  of  the 
richest  and  most  productive  districts  in  the  whole  Turkish 

1  Mushir — a  Pasha  of  the  highest  rank. 


80  VISIT    TO    THE 

territory,  abounding  in  villages,  chiefly  Armenian,  well 
watered  and  under  thorough  cultivation.  At  the  Armenian 
village  of  Arpaout,  where  I  stopped  for  breakfast,  I  began 
to  make  inquiries  for  the  Syrians.  The  people  informed 
me  that  there  were  about  one  hundred  families  of  them  in 
the  town  of  Kharpout,  and  a  village  inhabited  by  them  on 
the  plain.  I  observed  that  the  Armenians  did  not  know 
them  under  the  name  which  I  used,  Syriani;  but  called 
them  ASSOURI,  which  struck  me  the  more  at  the  moment 
from  its  resemblance  to  our  English  name  Assyrians,  from 
whom  they  claim  their  origin,  being  sons,  as  they  say,  of 
Assour,  (Asshur,)  who  "  out  of  the  land  of  Shinar  went 
forth,  and  builded  Nineveh,  and  the  city  Rehoboth,  and 
Calah,  and  Resin  between  Nineveh  and  Calah  :  the  same  is 
a  great  city."1 

From  Arpaout  I  crossed  a  part  of  the  plain  and  a  low 
range  of  hills,  to  Merizah,  a  village  situated  in  another  por- 
tion of  the  great  plain,  and  distinguished  as  the  residence  of 
the  Pasha  of  Kharpout.  About  three  miles  from  the  village 
we  passed  a  large  Armenian  monastery,  lying  near  the  road 
on  the  left.  There  is  another  in  the  same  part  of  the  plain, 
one  hour  Southwest  from  Merizah,  a  third  about  the  same 
distance  South  of  West,  and  a  fourth  about  four  hours  to 
the  Southeast,  and  near  the  little  lake  of  Gheuljuk.  All 
these  are  Armenian  monasteries,  and  the  fact  of  their  exist- 
ence is  enough  to  show  that  the  Christian  population  of  the 
province  must  be  very  large,  and  probably  has  been  long 
established  there.  In  some  of  the  villages,  Syrians  are 
mixed  with  the  Armenians,  and  worship  in  their  Churches 
with  them.  There  is  also  a  Syrian  Bishop  of  Kharpout, 
resident  in  one  of  the  villages  of  Kurdistan,  to  the  East, 
and  (a  fact  not  without  significance  in  speaking  of  an 
Eastern  Bishop)  he  is  a  widower. 

1  Genesis  10:  11,12. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  81 

I  was  at  first  surprised  to  find  so  large  a  population  of 
Syrians  so  far  separated  from  the  mass  of  their  community 
in  Mesopotamia  and  Syria,  for  there  are  none  to  be  found 
South  of  this  till  you  reach  Diarbekir,  nearly  a  hundred 
miles  distant  from  Kharpout.  But  when  I  afterwards 
learned  the  extent  of  their  population  in  Kurdistan,  I  saw 
that  those  of  Kharpout  were  only  a  continuation  of  that 
population  from  the  East,  and  not,  as  I  had  at  first  sup- 
posed, emigrants  from  the  South. 


82  VISIT    TO    THE 


CHAPTER    VII. 

The  Village  of  Merizah. — Population  of  Syrians  — Change  of  Climate. 
— Day  of  Preparation. —  Kharpout. — The  Town. — Churches. —  For- 
tress.— The  Syrian  Church  of  Kharpout. — The  Court. — The  Interior. 
— Pictures. — Miracles. —  The  Altar. —  The  Bishop's  Chair. —  The 
Font. — The  Books. — Origin  of  the  Church. — Its  History. — The  Priest. 
— Journey  resumed. — Place  of  Pilgrimage. — Fish. — Incident  with  a 
Christian. — Argana  Maden. —  Passage  of  the  Taurus. —  Famine. — 
Dangers. —  Preparations. —  New  Companion. —  The  Tartar. —  The 
Monastery. — Report  concerning  it. — Death  Abroad. 

THE  village  of  Merizah  is  an  unimportant  place  in  itself, 
but  is  worthy  of  being  mentioned  again  as  the  seat  of 
government  of  a  large  province.  The  Pasha  of  Kharpout 
has  his  residence  here.  The  place  was  selected  by  a 
former  Pasha  on  account  of  its  situation  in  a  district  capa- 
ble of  sustaining  a  large  army.  It  was  here  too  that  his 
successor,  Hafiz  Pasha,  collected  his  forces  previous  to  his 
expedition  into  Syria,  which  ended  in  the  defeat  of  the 
Turkish  army  at  Nezib.  I  stopped  a  day  at  Merizah  for 
the  purpose  of  making  inquiries  about  the  Syrians  of  the 
district.  I  had  learned  from  their  Patriarch  in  1838,  that 
there  were  about  800  families  of  them  in  the  town  and 
vicinity  of  Kharpout,  but  subsequent  information  led  me  to 
believe  that  there  were  not  more  than  600.  Perhaps  it 
would  be  difficult  to  ascertain  the  exact  number,  nor  is  it 
a  matter  of  much  importance. 

The  first  day  I  could  obtain  no  horses  for  visiting  the 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  *<J 

town,  which  lies  at  the  top  of  a  mountain  overlooking  the 
plain,  and  is  only  one  hour  North  of  Merizah.  I  would 
gladly  have  walked,  but  the  heat,  which  even  at  this  early 
season  was  oppressive,  prevented  me.  We  had  come  sud- 
denly from  the  cool  region  of  the  North  into  this  district 
infested  with  fevers  and  burning  with  heat.  The  very  fer- 
tility which  makes  it  so  attractive,  arises  in  part  from  a 
cause  which  makes  it  unhealthy.  The  vast  plain  is  inter- 
sected by  rivulets  in  every  direction,  which  are  turned  off 
at  short  intervals  to  water  the  ground.  I  thought  it  most 
prudent  to  avoid  the  heat,  which  we  now  felt  for  the  first 
time  in  our  journey,  and  therefore  spent  the  day  at  the  post- 
house. 

It  was  Friday,  and  the  28th  of  the  month.  Many  faith- 
ful ones  had  promised  to  remember  me  on  the  weekly  fast 
of  the  Church,  and  it  was  some  compensation  for  the 
disappointment  of  not  visiting  the  town,  that  I  had  such  a 
day  for  rest  and  solemn  preparation.  It  seemed  appropriate 
that  this  of  all  days  should  immediately  precede  my  first 
labors  in  the  enterprise  which  I  had  in  view,  and  that  it 
should  be  so  spent.  I  sat  by  the  side  of  a  fountain  in  front 
of  the  post-house  listening  to  the  gurgling  of  its  waters, 
while  my  thoughts  were  carried  away  to  the  captives  of 
Judah,  who  sat  down  by  the  waters  of  Babylon  and  wept 
when  they  remembered  Zion.  How  naturally  and  rapidly 
my  mind  reverted  to  the  Church,  the  daughter  of  Zion, 
which  sitteth  captive  in  the  land  of  my  pilgrimage,  and 
knoweth  not  the  time  of  her  deliverance.  "If  I  forget  thee, 
O  Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand  forget  her  cunning.  If  I 
do  not  remember  thee,  let  my  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of 
my  mouth;  yea,  if  I  prefer  not  Jerusalem  in  my  mirth."  * 

The  next  morning  I  succeeded  in  obtaining^  horses,  and 
went  to  the  town,  which  is  situated,  as  I  have  said,  on  the 

1  Ps.  137  :  5,  6  ;  in  the  Psalms  for  the  28th  day. 


84  VISIT    TO    THE 

top  of  a  lofty  rock,  and  contains  about  2000  inhabitants.  I 
soon  found  out  some  Greek  friends  from  European  Turkey, 
who  had  called  upon  me  the  preceding  day,  and  went  with 
them  to  the  Syrian  Church.  On  the  way  they  told  me  that 
they  had  once  requested  the  use  of  the  Church  for  worship 
on  the  great  festivals,  and  it  had  been  granted,  but  after  a 
short  time  the  order  was  revoked,  on  the  ground  that  the 
Greeks  might  some  day  rise  and  claim  the  Church  for  their 
own. 

To  the  East  of  the  town  of  Kharpout,  on  a  pinnacle  of 
the  rock  on  which  the  town  is  built,  stands  the  ancient  for- 
ress.  Its  walls  are  nearly  in  ruin,  and  no  inscription  that 
I  could  discover,  excepting  one  on  the  Eastern  tower,  ap- 
parently in  Arabic,  but  too  high  up  for  my  eyes  to  decipher, 
remains  to  tell  when  it  was  built  or  who  were  the  builders. 
I  did  not  stay  long  to  examine  it,  for  the  church  lies  under 
the  Eastern  face  of  this  pinnacle,un  a  humble,  secret  nook, 
looking  down  upon  a  deep  ravine  below.  We  knocked  at 
the  outer  gate.  It  was  opened  by  a  child.  As  we  entered, 
a  middle-aged  woman  made  her  appearance,  and,  recogniz- 
ing my  companions,  saluted  us  cordially.  We  had  entered 
a  little  court,  on  one  side  of  which  was  the  Church,  and 
on  the  other  sides  the  priests'  houses.  The  woman,  who 
was  the  wife  of  one  of  the  two  priests  belonging  to  the 
Church,  made  no  answer  to  our  request  to  see  the  interior, 
but  produced  the  keys,  and,  with  some  little  show  of  hesita- 
tion, opened  the  low,  heavy  door.  We  stooped  to  enter  by 
the  humble  portal,  while  the  woman,  leading  the  way 
through  a  dark  passage,  opened  another  massive  door  which 
admitted  us  into  the  nave  of  the  Church.  One  might  have 
thought  he  was  going  into  a  dungeon,  so  dark  and  dismal 
was  it, — of  rather,  shall  I  say,  into  some  Christian  tem- 
ple of  early  days,  when  the  persecuted  followers  of  Christ 
worshipped  in  secret  places  for  fear  of  their  enemies?  Ex- 
cept a  faint  glimmering  from  a  small  window  of  stained 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  85 

glass  above  the  altar,  hardly  a  ray  of  light .  found  its  way 
into  the  interior.  We  lighted  candles  and  began  to  explore. 
On  the  east  side  was  the  altar,  and  at  the  opposite  extremity 
a  gallery  for  the  women.  Ey  the  light  of  our  candles  we 
discovered  pictures  in  different  parts  of  the  Church, — 
rude  paintings,  one  representing  the  crucifixion,  another 
the  baptism  of  Christ,  a  third  the  Virgin  Mary,  with  little 
silver  arms  and  legs,  and  pieces  of  money  attached  to  it  as 
thank-offerings  for  cures  supposed  to  have  been  performed 
by  her  intercession.1  An  old  priest,  who  presently  made 
his  appearance  from  the  dark  passage,  assured  us  that  the 
Church  was  celebrated  for  its  miraculous  cures,  and  in 
proof  thereof  showed  us  a  chain  with  a  collar  for  the  neck. 
When  any  one  becomes  mad,  he  is  brought  to  the  Church, 
and,  being  confined  with  this  chain,  is  placed  before  the 
reading  desk  in  front  of  the  chancel.  Prayers  are  then 
said  over  him  by  the  priest,  and  continued  until  the  collar 
unclasps  itself  and  falls  to  the  ground,  and  the  man  stands 
up  before  them  all,  restored  and  in  his  right  mind ! 

The  altar  itself  was  of  the  plainest  description,  and  the 
vessels  and  vestments  belonging  to  it,  poor  and  soiled.  It 
was  so  far  from  the  wall  that  one  might  walk  behind,  and 
on  each  side  of  it  was  a  little  cell,  or  oratory,  where  the 
eucharistic  service  is  said  in  silence.  Each  was  lighted  by 
a  dungeon  crevice  in  the  wall.  On  the  north  side  of  the 
altar,  between  it  and  the  oratory  on  that  side,  stood  the 
Bishop's  chair  and  staff;  and  on  the  south  side  the  baptis- 
mal font  of  stone.  Within  the  font  lay  a  dirty  phial  con- 
taining the  meiron  used  in  chrism.  In  front  of  the  Bishop's 
chair  and  against  the  chancel  rail  stood  another  desk  where 
the  lessons  and  some  other  parts  of  the  service  are  read. 

1  This  is  the  only  picture  of  the  kind  that  I  have  ever  seen  in  a  Syrian 
Church,  and  I  presume  in  this  instance  it  was  placed  there  by  the  Greeks 
when  they  were  allowed  to  worship  there,  and  had  never  been  taken 
down. 


86  VISIT    TO    THE 

That  without  the  chancel  is  for  the  reading  of  the  Gospel. 
Upon  it  lay  a  copy  of  the  New  Testament  in  Syriac.  I 
was  surprised  to  find  on  opening  it  that  it  was  printed,  the 
Church  books  among  the  Syrians  being  ordinarily  in  manu- 
script. On  looking  farther  I  discovered  that  it  was  of  the 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society's  edition,  and  great  was 
my  surprise  to  see  it  in  its  curious  Oriental  dress,  for  the 
covers  had  been  overlaid  with  plates  of  silver  on  which 
were  embossed  figures  of  Christ  and  other  devices.  It  is 
customary  among  the  Orientals  to  honor  their  sacred  books 
in  this  way.  Another  copy  of  the  New  Testament  was  in 
MS.  and  bore  the  date  1892,  referring,  doubtless,  to  the 
Alexandrian  era,  which  is  still  in  use  among  the  Syrians. 
That  era  is  311  years  older  than  our  own.  The  volume 
was  therefore  written  in  1581  A.D.,  or  263  years  ago. 

On  the  altar  lay  the  Liturgy,  a  service  for  Communion, 
and  another  small  volume  containing  the  services  for  Bap- 
tism, Matrimony,  and  Burial.  A  large  folio  lay  upon  one  of 
the  reading  desks,  in  which  was  contained  the  order  of 
services  for  all  the  Sundays  and  great  festivals  in  the  year, 
and  another  containing  the  services  for  week  days,  which 
are  read  through  once  every  week,  each  day  of  the  week 
having  its  own  service. 

The  priest  informed  me  that  the  Church  was  built  origin- 
ally by  the  Apostle  Adi,  or  Thaddeus,  and  that  it  was 
afterwards  enriched  by  the  munificence  of  the  pious  to  an 
incredible  degree,  its  vaulted  ceiling  being  lined  with  plates 
of  gold.  When  Timourleng  invaded  these  countries,  so  went 
on  the  story  of  the  priest,  he  discovered  the  Church  from 
the  summit  of  a  rock  which  rises  (like  that  on  which  the 
citadel  stands)  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  ravine,  to  the 
East.  The  robber  chieftain  sent  and  pillaged  it,  carrying 
away  all  its  vessels  and  stores  of  silver  and  gold.  He  then 
filled  it  with  straw  and  attempted  to  set  it  on  fire,  but  he 
succeeded  only  in  blackening  its  walls.  I  found  no  inscrip- 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  87 

tions  about  the  Church,  (the  priest  said  they  were  all  obi  iter- 
ated by  the  fire,)  excepting  one  in  Syriac  on  a  slab  in  the 
pavement,  and  this  was  hardly  legible.  It  was  doubtless  a 
grave-stone  ;  the  priest  knew  not  of  whom,  but  the  woman 
said  it  covered  the  remains  of  one  Helena,  who  erected  the 
present  building  on  the  site  of  the  Church  built  by  the 
Apostle. 

I  endeavored  to  converse  with  the  old  man,  but  he  was 
slow  to  communicate,  and  answered  my  inquiries  evasively 
When  I  told  him  that  I  hoped  soon  to  see  his  Patriarch,  he 
unbended  a  little,  and  replied,  "  Say  to  him,  I  kiss  his 
hand."  He  assured  me  that  there  were  no  more  than  45 
Syrian  families  in  the  town,  and  a  few  in  four  of  the  villages, 
in  all  about  150  Syrian  families  in  the  district  of  Kharpout. 
Such  statements,  however,  are  not  to  be  depended  upon,  as 
the  poor  oppressed  Christians  throughout  the  interior  almost 
uniformly,  through  fear,  make  their  numbers  to  appear  as 
small  as  possible.  He  told  me  farther,  that  the  Armenians 
and  Syrians  live  together  on  terms  of  the  closest  intimacy, 
and  go  to  each  other's  Churches,  but  do  not  intermarry. 
Their  common  language  in  the  district  is  Turkish,  in  which 
language  it  is  that  the  Athour  of  the  Syriac  and  Arabic  is 
converted  into  Asour,  and  the  Athouri  of  the  Arabic, 
(Syriac,  Othoroyo,)  into  Asouri,  the  common  name  of  the 
Syrians. 

Immediately  on  my  return  to  the  post-house  I  mounted 
again  and  pursued  my  journey.  Four  hours  over  the  plain, 
and  nearly  as  many  more  over  a  tedious  range  of  mountains, 
brought  us  to  the  Lake  Gheuljuk,  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water 
reposing  among  the  mountains.  At  its  southern  extremity 
is  an  island  with  a  Church  upon  it,  to  which  the  people  go 
in  pilgrimage  once  a  year.  They  told  me  a  sad  tale  of  a 
party  of  sixty  who  were  drowned  by  the  swamping  of  a  boat 
in  going  to  it  the  year  before. 

We  passed  round  the  southern  head  of  the  lake,  and 


88  VISIT    TO    THE 

purchased  a  few  fish  from  some  poor  Christians  that  were 
drawing  a  net  to  the  shore.  They  proved  a  savory  morsel 
to  us,  and  saved  us  from  going  to  bed  supperless  at  the 
miserable  khan  where  we  spent  the  night. 

A  little  incident  had  occurred  during  the  day  which 
pleased  me  much,  and  to  show  that  traits  worthy  of  a  Chris- 
tain  people  are  to  be  seen  even  where  our  holy  religion  has 
lost  something  of  its  life  and  power,  I  will  relate  it.  While 
travelling  over  the  plain  of  Kharpout,  we  passed  a  young 
Armenian,  who  was  trudging  along  on  foot  in  the  same 
direction  with  ourselves.  He  saluted  us  civilly,  and  I 
entered  into  conversation  with  him.  When  he  saw  that  I 
was  a  Christian,  he  became  communicative  and  told  me  all 
his  story.  A  few  months  before,  he  had  had  a  difference 
with  another  Armenian,  a  young  man  and  a  cousin,  living  in 
the  same  village.  His  cousin,  in  his  anger,  had  brought 
several  charges  against  him,  and  endeavored  to  put  him 
into  prison.  Not  succeeding  in  this,  they  parted  enemies, 
and  his  cousin  soon  after  left  the  village.  Lately  news  had 
reached  his  home,  that  the  young  man  had  been  unfortu- 
nate, and  for  some  trifling  offence  had  been  thrown  into 
prison.  His  cousin  immediately  set  himself  to  work  and 
collected  money  enough  to  obtain  his  release.  "I  thought 
I  ought  not,"  he  said,  "  to  remember  what  he  did  against 
me,  for  we  were  always  good  friends,  and  he  did  it  in  a 
moment  of  passion."  He  told  the  whole  story  in  so  simple 
and  unpretending  a  manner,  taking  equal  blame  to  himself 
for  their  quarrel,  that  I  did  not  doubt  he  told  the  truth. 
He  had  come  two  days  on  foot,  and  had  two  more  to  travel 
before  he  could  reach  his  place  of  destination.  He  footed 
it  so  bravely  over  the  hills  that  he  kept  in  sight  of  us  most 
of  the  day.  As  night  came  on,  we  halted  in  a  meadow 
where  a  herd  of  horses,  belonging  to  the  post-house  which 
we  had  last  left,  were  feeding,  under  the  care  of  two  or 
three  ostlers.  We  managed  to  change  some  of  our  jaded 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  89 

animals  for  fresh  ones,  and  as  we  had  to  cross  the  Taurus 
before  we  could  obtain  others,  I  took  the  precaution  to  add 
two  or  three  led-horses  to  our  retinue,  to  take  the  place  of 
any  that  might  happen  to  break  down  on  the  mountains. 
As  we  were  on  the  point  of  resuming  our  inarch,  the  young 
Armenian  overtook  us.  Seeing  that*  he  was  faint  with 
fatigue,  and  knowing  that  the  country  was  not  safe  for  a 
solitary  traveller,  I  requested  him  to  mount  one  of  the  led- 
horses  and  accompany  us  to  the  khan  where  we  expected 
to  spend  the  night.  This  little  show  of  attention  to  a  poor 
rayah  roused  the  ire  of  the  postillion — a  brutal  Mussulman, 
as  destitute  of  feeling  as  the  horse  which  he  bestrode.  He 
poured  out  a  volley  of  execrations  on  the  head  of  the 
astounded  Armenian,  who,  fearing  to  resist  or  reply,  began  to 
slink  away.  I  thought  it  was  time  to  interpose,  and  riding 
up  to  the  postillion  I  told  him  that  I  too  was  a  Giaour,  (a 
word  with  which  he  had  plentifully  interlarded  his  speech,) 
and  that  I  would  not  suffer  any  fellow  Giaour  to  be  abused  for 
his  religion,  (if  the  man  had  been  a  Mussulman,  the  fellow 
would  have  been  the  first  to  give  him  a  ride,)  and  finally,  that 
while  he  was  in  my  service,  which  was  till  we  reached  the 
next  post,  I  should  take  every  insult  offered  to  a  Christian 
as  an  insult  to  me,  and  deal  with  him  accordingly.  The 
man  made  no  reply,  and  the  Armenian,  who  had  probably 
never  heard  such  language  from  a  Christian  to  a  Mussulman 
before,  came  back  at  my  bidding  and  mounted  the  horse 
with  a  half-reluctant  air,  as  if  he  feared  that  the  enraged 
postillion  might  find  an  oppportunity  for  wreaking  his 
vengeance  upon  him  at  some  future  day. 

The  night  was  dark,  gloomy,  and  cold,  and  as  we  start- 
ed, we  heard  the  cry  of  a  hungry  wolf  near  by,  which, 
pinched  with  hunger,  was  filling  the  air  with  his  dismal 
howl.  Right  glad  were  we  when  we  drew  up  after  an 
hour's  ride,  before  the  door  of  the  khan,  which  was  to  be 
our  resting-place  for  the  night. 


90  VISIT    TO    THE 

The  next  day  we  crossed  the  Taurus,  in  about  eight 
hours,  to  Argana.  The  pretty  town  of  Argana  Maden  lies 
half  way  upon  the  road,  in  a  gorge  of  the  mountains  through 
which  the  Tigris  pours  its  discolored  waters  It  is  cele- 
brated for  its  copper-mines,  which  I  judged  to  be  in  a  pros- 
perous state,  from  the  fact,  that  it  was  one  of  the  very  few 
towns  in  Turkey  which  seemed  to  be  upon  the  increase. 
New  buildings  were  going  up,  and  the  whole  wore  an  air 
of  newness  and  neatness,  which  afforded  a  delightful  con- 
trast to  the  faded  and  decaying  appearance  of  most  Turkish 
towns.  Here  we  parted  with  our  Armenian  friend,  who 
had  reached  the  end  of  his  journey.  Whether  he  was  suc- 
cessful in  the  object  of  it  I  never  heard. 

The  passage  of  the  Taurus,  which  three  years  ago  filled 
me  with  impressions  of  the  awful  and  sublime,  was  now 
tame  and  uninteresting.  Whether  it  was  the  familiarity  of 
the  scenes,  or  the  want  of  certain  stirring  incidents  which 
added  to  the  impression  in  the  first  instance,  I  will  not  pre- 
tend to  say,  but  certain  it  was,  that  the  mountains  which 
seemed  before  to  abound  in  the  picturesque  and  the  grand, 
now  appeared  destitute  of  both,  a  mere  tedious  succession 
of  ups  and  downs.  It  was  some  relief  when  we  reached  the 
last  height  and  looked  down  on  the  far-spreading  plains  of 
Diarbekir,  stretching  off  in  the  distance  like  the  sea  in  a 
calm,  and  descried  to  the  S.  E.  the  well-known  range  of 
the  dark  Karajah. 

Arrived  at  Argana,  lying  upon  the  steep  slope  beneath  a 
lofty  peak,  whose  top  is  crowned  with  the  remains  of  an  an- 
cient fortress,  the  same  sights  met  my  eyes  which  I  had 
witnessed  in  Sivas ;  here,  however,  aggravated  in  degree. 
Half  naked  and  famishing  children,  driven  from  their  homes 
by  hunger,  clustered  around  the  door  of  the  little  cafe 
where  I  had  taken  lodgings,  their  pallid  faces  and  shrivelled 
limbs  showing  too  plainly  the  extent  of  their  sufferings. 
Some  were  so  reduced  by  famine  that  the  muscular  parts 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  91 

of  the  body,  as  the  thigh  and  calf  of  the  leg,  had  quite 
gone,  and  they  appeared  like  walking  skeletons  more  than 
human  beings.  But  these  were  only  faint  touches  of  the 
picture  which  I  was  to  see  at  Diarbekir  in  all  its  frightful 
reality, 

I  was  detained  two  days  at  Argana  for  the  want  of 
horses,  and  falling  into  company  with  an  Armenian  of  Con- 
stantinople, on  his  way  to  Bagdad,  we  determined,  for 
mutual  security,  to  join  forces.  We  had  heard  nothing  of 
the  Kurds  since  we  left  Kaban  Maden,  but  frightful  stories 
were  rife  at  Argana  of  their  depredations  upon  the  desert 
between  that  place  and  Diarbekir.  On  account  of  the 
heat,  we  thought  it  best  to  travel  by  night,  and  we  flattered 
ourselves  that  in  this  way  we  should  be  more  likely  to 
escape  observation.  The  governor  furnished  us  with  a 
guard,  and  several  poor  people  of  the  country,  who  were 
waiting  for  an  escort,  joined  our  company,  besides  a  fat 
Tatar,  who  endeavored  to  make  it  appear  that  his  going 
with  us  was  intended  for  our  protection  instead  of  his  own, 
He  talked  so  largely  about  it  that  we  began  to  suspect  him  of 
being  an  arrant  coward.  If  the  truth  were  told,  however,  there 
was  probably  no  one  of  us  who  would  not  have  avoided  the 
twelve  hours'  journey  over  the  desert,  if  he  could.  For  my 
own  part,  I  am  free  to  confess,  that  the  prospect  of  such  a 
journey  always  excites  a  peculiar  train  of  sensations,  or,  in 
other  words,  that  I  never  enter  upon  it  without  secretly 
wishing  it  were  over.  I  have  never  seen  the  time,  however, 
when,  however  pressing  the  danger  might  appear,  there  was 
not  consolation  and  strength  in  the  thought  that  the  line  of 
duty  lay  straight  through  it. 

There  is  a  monastery  near  Argana,  on  the  height  above 
the  town,  which  I  would  have  visited,  but  the  intenseness 
of  the  heat,  which  I  did  not  care  to  encounter  in  any  thing 
aside  from  my  work,  deterred  me.  The  monastery  belongs 
to  the  Armenians,  and  is  called  Asdvatzatzin,  or  the  Mon- 


92  VISIT    TO    THE 

astery  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  It  is  said  to  be  rich,  and  the 
monks  were  described  to  me  as  leading  an  easy  and  com- 
fortable life,  far  above  (at  least  in  point  of  local  position) 
the  cares  and  tumults  of  the  world.  I  was  told  that  they 
have  a  rich  and  beautiful  Church,  and  a  library  well-stocked 
with  books.  An  Englishman  had  died  in  the  monastery 
only  a  few  weeks  before  I  passed,  and  I  afterwards  saw  in 
Diarbekir  a  part  of  his  property,  which  had  been  sold  in 
the  bazars  by  his  servant.  The  thoughts  of  thus  dying 
away  from  one's  kindred  are  not  pleasant  to  the  mortal 
sense,  but  they  will  sometimes  force  themselves  upon  the 
mind  of  the  lonely  traveller,  and  recall  bright  visions  of 
home  and  all  who  are  loved  there ;  and  the  many,  many 
leagues  that  he  is  away  from  it.  Happy,  then,  if  Faith  can 
point  him  to  a  better  home,  and  gather  around  it  brighter 
visions,  and  check  his  love  of  earth  by  the  hope  of  its  rest 
and  its  reward ! 


SYRIAN    CHURCH. 


93 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


Departure  from  Argana. — Our  Company. — The  Desert  by  Night. — Meet- 
ing with  Kurds. — Hostile  Preparations. — The  Event. — Repose  on  the 
Grass. — Famine. — First  Impressions. — Scenes  from  the  Famine. — 
Causes  of  it. — A  Feast. — Hard  Drinking. — Hardness  of  Heart. — Out- 
rage upon  the  Christians. — Mussulman  Bigotry. — Justice  in  Turkey. 

WE  started  a  little  before  sunset  on  the  31st  of  May. 
Our  party,  as  we  wound  our  way  down  from  the  steep  rock 
of  Argana  to  the  plain,  presented  a  very  imposing  array. 
The  Armenian's  and  my  own  were  five  in  number.  Then 
came  the  Tatar,  with  his  guide ;  and  after  him  followed  a 
little  troop  of  men,  some  on  foot,  and  some  on  donkeys. 
These,  however,  being  chiefly  peasants,  who  had  no  other 
means  of  defence  than  a  stout  cudgel,  added  little  to  our 
available  force.  Upon  counting  our  arms  there  were  found 
eight  pistols,  three  swords,  and  a  gun.  The  last-mentioned 
implement  was  in  the  hands  of  a  Kurd,  who  talked  so  know- 
ingly of  the  predatory  habits  of  his  brethren,  that  some  sus- 
pected him  of  having  had  a  little  practice  himself.  He  was 
one  of  two  men  who  formed  my  body-guard,  and  being,  for 
the  present  at  least,  as  sent  by  the  Governor,  a  trusty  fel- 
low, his  supposed  experience  was  regarded  by  most  of  the 
party  as  an  important  recommendation.  He  was  a  fine  stout 
man,  in  the  full  dress  of  his  countrymen,  frank  and  sociable, 
and,  more  than  all,  he  was  the  captain  of  our  forces. 

We  did  not  emerge  from  the  hills  until  twilight  was  gone, 
and  the  moon  was  shining  in  full  lustre  upon  the  wide- 


94  VISIT    TO    THE 

spread  plain.  By  this  time,  too,  the  songs  and  mirth,  and 
busy  hum  of  voices,  with  which  the  march  commenced,  had 
subsided,  and  we  moved  along  in  gloomy  silence,  each  one 
occupied  with  his  own  thoughts.  After  proceeding  in  this 
manner  a  few  hours,  the  Tatar,  who  was  a  few  rods  in  ad- 
vance, came  back,  and  reported  that  a  strong  party  were  ad- 
vancing towards  us  from  the  left.  As  the  guides  knew  of 
no  road  in  that  direction,  the  circumstance  seemed  a  little 
suspicious.  At  least  so  thought  our  captain,  who  imme- 
diately ordered  us  to  fall  into  close  order,  prepare  our  arms, 
and  keep  a  strict  silence.  He  then  unslung  his  gun,  and 
took  the  lead  on  foot.  A  few  moments  of  confusion  follow- 
ed, each  one  being  apparently  animated  by  a  desire  to  march 
in  the  centre  of  the  body,  which  occasioned  considerable 
difficulty  in  forming  our  van.  At  length  our  ranks  were 
formed,  two  marching  abreast,  and  the  baggage  horses  in  the 
centre.  Pistols  were  taken  out,  swords  displayed,  every 
man's  flint  and  priming  examined;  and  then  followed  a  dead 
pause.  My  Armenian  friend  found  his  courage  sinking,  and 
applied  himself  to  a  large  gourd,  which  he  had  taken  care  to 
fill  with  the  choice  wine  of  Argana.  When  he  had  drunk 
he  smacked  his  lips,  and  declared  himself  a  braver  man. 
Others  begged  for  a  drop  of  the  courage-giving  liquid,  but 
my  worthy  friend  had  emptied  the  vessel  at  a  draught.  I 
will  only  add  that  the  wine  was  obtained  for  him  by  a  Mus- 
sulman, who  brought  it  to  the  cafe  under  his  cloak,  and 
begged  the  physician,  for  such  he  was,  to  let  no  one  know 
from  whom  he  had  it.1 

The  party  who  had  created  all  this  alarm  and  perturba- 
tion, were  now  in  full  view,  and  only  a  few  rods  in  advance. 
They  were  seven  men,  well  mounted,  and  our  captain  re- 
ported, in  a  whisper,  that  they  were  Kurds,  and  robbers. 

1  The  Koran  will  explain  the  cause  of  his  timidity, — that  remarkable 
book  being  "  total  abstinence"  in  its  precepts,  so  far  as  relates  to  wine. 


SYRIAN    CIIURCH.  95 

Just  then  we  discovered  that  two  of  our  party,  whom  we  had 
taken  to  be  Kurdish  peasants,  were  missing.  We  began  to 
suspect  foul  play  ;  and  this,  coupled  with  the  ominous  intel- 
ligence from  the  front,  cast  a  deeper  gloom  over  the  party. 
What  if  the  missing  men  had  stolen  round  and  communi- 
cated with  the  enemy !  They  must  have  learned  our  real 
weakness,  which  we  fain  hoped  the  darkness  of  the  night 
would  conceal.  They  would  also  learn  the  rich  prey  which 
awaited  them,  for  we  were  come  from  Constantinople,  and 
had  nine  horse-loads,  eight  of  which  belonged  to  the  phy- 
sician. But  there  was  no  time  to  remedy  the  evil,  for  just 
as  we  discovered  it,  an  order  came  from  the  captain  that  no 
one  should  fire  until  he  gave  the  word,  and  had  fired  himself. 
This  was  whispered  back  from  rank  to  rank,  until  it  reached 
my  ears.  I  was  in  the  rear  rank,  with  a  travelling  compan- 
ion of  the  physician,  who  complained  bitterly  that  his  friend 
had  left  him  none  of  the  wine.  Before  us  were  the  servants, 
the  baggage-horses,  and  the  men  on  foot  ;  in  front  of  them 
were  the  Tatar  and  the  physician,  occupying,  notwithstand- 
ing the  bravery  of  their  wine  and  big  words,  the  safest  place 
in  the  company.  The  van  before  them  was  formed  of  two 
or  three  ranks  of  armed  footmen,  and  at  the  head  of  all 
marched  the  captain.  As  he  uttered  his  last  command  he 
cocked  his  gun.  The  die  seemed  cast.  I  uttered  a  short 
prayer,  and  awaited  the  result  with  more  quietness  as  the 
danger  came  nearer.  All  this  passed  in  a  shorter  time  than 
I  have  taken  to  relate  it.  We  could  now  discover  that  the 
enemy  had  dismounted.  They  approached,  and  slowly 
crossing  our  path,  moved  along  to  a  little  hillock  on  our 
right,  which  they  ascended.  No  hail  was  given,  nor  word 
spoken.  On  the  top  of  the  hillock  they  halted,  and  turning 
full  upon  us,  one  of  them  mounted  his  horse.  The  others 
stood  by,  ready  to  spring  into  their  saddles,  and  we  fully  ex- 
pected they  would  do  so,  and  the  whole  body  come  rushing 
down  upon  us  like  the  whirlwind,  after  the  manner  of  the 


96  VISIT    TO    THE 

Kurds.  At  this  moment  our  captain  ordered  us  to  open  our 
ranks,  so  as  to  display  our  numbers,  which  we  did  ;  but 
so  as  to  cover  our  baggage,  by  keeping  between  it  and  the 
enemy.  The  trick  seemed  to  succeed  ;  the  party  kept  their 
places,  and  leisurely  surveyed  us  for  a  few  moments,  when 
they  suddenly  disappeared  behind  the  hillock.  The  captain 
thought  that  they  might  move  round,  and  attack  us  in  the 
rear ;  and  two  of  our  company,  of  whom  I  was  one,  were  or- 
dered to  fall  back,  and  keep  a  good  look-out.  For  a  few 
minutes  we  remained  in  anxious  suspense,  when  the  enemy 
no  more  appearing,  our  fears  gradually  subsided,  and  we 
went  on  our  way  ;  every  one  of  us,  I  believe,  a  relieved  and 
happier  man.  One  or  two  even  attempted  to  get  up  a  song 
in  triumph  or  defiance,  but  it  soon  quavered,  trembled,  and 
died  away ;  we  were  not  yet  ready  for  that.  In  the  mean 
while  our  captain  quietly  returned  his  gun  to  its  sling,  and 
resumed  his  place  in  the  company— »the  only  one  who  seem- 
ed not  to  have  been  considerably  agitated. 

At  midnight  we  had  accomplished  half  the  journey,  and 
concluded,  after  some  discussion,  to  stop  and  rest.  At  the 
spot  stood  a  khan,  which  had  been  built  by  Hafiz  Pasha, 
whose  plan  it  was  to  make  the  desert  an  inhabited  place.  It 
had  been  neglected  by  his  successor,  and  was  now  partly  in 
ruins.  We  did  not  choose  to  enter  it,  but,  disposing  our- 
selves upon  the  grass,  unloaded  our  horses,  and,  tying 
their  feet,  let  them  loose  to  graze.  We  then  set  a  guard, 
and  each  one  lying  down  by  his  baggage,  we  soon  fell 
asleep.  After  half  an  hour  I  awoke,  and  on  looking  round 
for  the  guard,  found  that  they  were  all  wrapped  in  deep 
slumber.  What  a  prey  for  the  Kurds  !  I  thought  of  it  for 
a  moment,  and  then  falling  back  went  to  sleep  again.  Hap- 
pily no  one  molested  us.  We  woke  at  day-break,  loaded  our 
horses,  and  proceeded  to  the  city. 

I  had  heard  of  the  famine  at  Diarbekir  from  the  worthy 
Governor  of  Gumush  Khaneh,  but  I  did  not  expect  to  behold 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  97 

such  scenes  as  met  my  eyes  as  soon  as  I  had  entered  the 
city.  We  had  just  passed  the  Constantinople  gate,  and  were 
slowly  making  our  way  through  the  crowded  streets,  when 
my  horse  suddenly  started  at  something  lying  before  him  in 
the  road.  On  looking  down  I  saw  a  human  being  stretched 
upon  his  back  with  his  face  upturned  to  the  hot  sun.  His 
eye  met  mine,  and  such  a  look  of  misery  and  despair  my  eye 
never  encountered.  Before  I  could  stop,  or  make  any  in- 
quiry, we  were  hurried  by,  and  the  crowd  closed  in  behind 
us.  I  put  a  question  to  the  guide,  but  he  answered  only  by 
that  peculiar  "  don't  know  and  don't  care"  shrug  of  the 
shoulders  which  the  traveller  is  often  obliged  to  take  for  an 
answer  in  Turkey.  Before  we  reached  our  lodgings,  we 
passed  four  or  five  others  in  the  same  situation.  Some  had 
covered  their  faces,  but  we  could  see  by  the  quivering  of 
their  limbs,  and  the  short,  quick  breathing  which  agitated  the 
thin  garments  upon  their  breasts,  that  they  were  in  the  ago- 
nies of  death.  Of  the  others  I  cannot  now  recal,  the  ex- 
pression, for  the  sight  was  becoming  familiar,  with  every  re- 
currence ;  but  the  look  of  that  first  created  a  new  image  in 
my  mind,  which  can  never  be  effaced.  It  was  a  first,  fresh 
impression.  The  picture  is  as  vivid  as  if  I  saw  it  but  yes- 
terday. I  see  it  now — those  glassy  eyes,  that  ghastly  death- 
struck  look,  that  expression  of  mingled  suffering,  despair,  and 
supplication.  May  I  never  look  upon  the  like  again ! 

As  soon  as  we  had  settled  ourselves  in  our  lodgings,  I 
went  out  to  survey  the  scene  more  extensively.  I  needed 
not  to  go  far,  the  dying  and  dead  were  all  around — some 
lying  in  the  middle  of  the  streets  liable  to  be  trod  upon  by 
every  passing  horse,  some  at  the  gates  of  the  rich,  some  in  the 
outlets  of  the  city,  but  most  of  all  in  the  principal  thorough- 
fares and  bazars.  All  around,  men  were  buying  and  selling ; 
here  a  cook-shop  sending  forth  its  savory  odors,  and  there 
a  bake-house  with  its  store  of  fresh  bread  displayed  abroad ; 


98  VISIT    TO    THE 

here  a  butcher's  stall,  and  there  a  seller  of  vegetables,  fruits, 
water,  sherbets,  even  the  luxuries  of  life;  and  these  poor 
emaciated  wretches  lying  in  the  midst  of  all,  pining,  sink- 
ing, dying  of  utter  starvation!  Who  would  believe  it? 
At  one  corner  might  be  seen  one,  a  squalid  child,  stretching 
out  its  shrivelled  fingers  to  seize  a  bone  thrown  out  for  the 
dogs ;  there  another  actually  consuming  some  offal  which  it 
had  found  in  the  streets.  There,  under  the  eaves  of  a  house, 
lies  a  man  of  powerful  frame,  but  reduced  to  the  dimensions 
of  a  skeleton,  who  has  resigned  himself  to  his  fate  and  has 
covered  up  his  face  to  die.  See  how  his  breast  heaves  and 
his  limbs  tremble  in  his  last  agony.  Here  is  a  mother  with 
one  infant  at  the  breast,  and  another  a  year  or  two  older  at 
her  knee.  What  puny,  emaciated  things!  They  hardly 
seem  like  human  beings.  And  she  who  gave  them  birth, 
how  piteous  and  wo-begone  she  looks,  and  what  a  suppli- 
cating eye  she  raises  as  I  pass !  Who  can  resist  such  an 
appeal  ?  And  yet  the  busy  throng  move  on,  heedless  of  the 
misery  in  their  very  paths.  They  seem  not  even  to  notice 
the  forlorn  sufferers,  much  less  to  pity  them.  They  would 
be  more  merciful  to  brutes ;  what  can  have  steeled  their 
hearts  against  men  of  flesh  and  blood  like  themselves  ?  Here 
passes  a  Christian  priest.  Surely  the  minister  of  Him  who 
taught  us  to  love  even  our  enemies,  to  do  good  to  all  men,  to 
do  to  others  as  we  would  that  others  should  do  to  us,  will 
look  with  compassion  upon  these  dying  wretches.  But  no ; 
he  appears  not  to  see  them  or  hear  their  cry.  A  body  ap- 
parently lifeless  lies  before  him  in  his  very  path.  He  must 
step  aside  to  avoid  it.  He  does  so,  and  passes  on.  Near 
by  lies  a  woman.  She  has  rested  her  head  upon  a  stone, 
but  in  her  agony  her  head  has  moved  back  and  hangs  over 
the  stone,  which  is  beneath  her  neck.  In  this  position  she 
is  uttering  the  most  heart-piercing  cry  for  mercy.  The 
priest,  as  he  passes,  turns  his  head,  for  a  moment,  in  that 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  99 

direction.  Who  could  avoid  hearing  such  unearthly  cries? 
He  will  stop  and  speak  to  her.  No;  he  has  gone  by  without 
deigning  a  second  glance. 

"What  is  the  reason  of  all  this  ?"  I  said  to  a  very  respecta- 
ble Mohammedan  with  whom  I  was  walking.  He  had  heard 
of  our  arrival  from  Constantinople,  and  having  called  upon 
us  to  hear  the  news,  went  out  with  me  to  the  bath. 

"They'are  Kurds,"  he  replied. 

"  But  they  are  Mussulmans  also,  men  of  your  own  faith  ; 
why  do  you  not  take  care  of  them  ?" 

"  Let  the  dogs  die !"  was  the  horridly  inhuman  answeT. 
"  We  have  had  trouble  enough  with  them.  We  should  like 
to  see  them  all,  the  whole  race  of  them,  dying  in  the  same 
way." 

The  reader  must  understand  that  the  Kurds  of  the 
province  of  Diarbekir  have  always  been  discontented  and 
dangerous  subjects,  and  that  this  feeling  has  increased 
since  the  late  Sultan  attempted  to  subdue  them  and  intro- 
duce among  them  his  new  military  system.  They  were 
taken  by  force  from  their  villages  and  enlisted  in  the  army. 
I  remember  having  seen,  during  my  first  visit  to  the  city, 
about  two  hundred  of  their  young  men  driven  in  like  cattle, 
their  aged  parents  following,  weeping  and  wringing  their 
hands.  The  Kurds  have  a  vague,  undefined  horror  of 
the  Nizamijedid,  or  "  new  order,"  and  doubtless  it  has  been 
a  great  misfortune  to  them.  They  have  seen  their  villages 
invaded  by  recruiting  officers,  and  their  children  wrested 
from  them  and  forced  into  the  army.  The  novelty  of  the 
thing  has  made  the  calamity  seem  more  grievous.  It  was 
no  wonder,  therefore,  that  on  the  defeat  of  the  Turkish  army 
at  Nezib  in  1839,  they  arose  to  wreak  their  vengeance 
upon  their  oppressors,  little  reflecting  that  the  anarchy 
which  then  existed  must  soon  pass  away,  and  that  by  such 
acts  they  were  only  laying  up  a  long  account  against  them- 


I  no 


VISIT    TO    THE 


selves,  which  they  must  settle  when  order  returned.  The 
Mussulmans  of  the  city  have  contracted  a  strong  aversion 
to  the  Kurds,  or  rather  have  strengthened  that  which  has 
long  existed.  During  the  last  two  years  the  rains  failed, 
and  the  crops  were  consequently  cut  off.  The  Kurds,  driven 
from  their  homes  by  hunger,  were  compelled  to  fly  to  the 
town,  and  here  no  one  was  found  who  would  have  pity 
upon  them.  They  died  by  hundreds  in  the  streets,  twenty 
or  thirty  dying  daily.  When  the  spring  returned,  many 
contrived  to  live  on  herbs  and  berries  which  they  found  in 
the  fields,  but  still,  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  from  five  to  ten 
expired  daily  in  the  streets.  The  famine  had  been  so  severe, 
that  they  ate  the  most  offensive  things,  such  as  dead  cats 
and  dogs,  and  even  human  flesh.  How  beings,  in  the  shape 
of  humanity,  could  stand  by  and  see  such  events  passing 
before  their  very  eyes,  without  raising  a  finger  to  relieve 
them,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  imagine.  I  had  it  from  very  re- 
spectable authority,  that  between  four  and  five  thousand 
had  thus  perished  in  the  streets  of  Diarbekir — all  of  them 
Kurds.  Some  of  the  depopulated  villages  contained  Ar- 
menians, but  these  had  been  cared  for  by  their  own  people. 
Thus,  at  the  house  where  I  tarried,  whenever  the  voice  of  a 
beggar  was  heard  at  the  gate,  if  it  was  in  Armenian,  or 
asked  alms  "  in  the  name  of  Christ"  a  servant  was  imme- 
diately sent  out  with  money  or  provisions.  If  it  was  in 
Kurdish,  no  one  took  any  notice  of  it.  I  was  astonished  at 
the  hard-heartedness  of  the  Christians.  On  the  evening  fol- 
lowing that  of  my  arrival,  I  was  invited  to  dine  at  the  house 
of  a  wealthy  Christian  merchant,  where  I  met  with  several 
ecclesiastics  of  different  ranks.  The  dinner  was  served  in 
the  open  air,  at  ten  o'clock,  P.  M.,  at  the  special  request  (as 
to  the  time)  of  my  Armenian  friend  and  myself,  the  fashion- 
able hour  being  six  o'clock,  Turkish  time,  which  would 
be,  according  to  our  computation,  at  this  season,  about  one 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  101 

hour  after  midnight.1  As  we  were  to  start  early  on  the 
morrow,  we  begged  our  host  to  show  us  Constantinople 
civility,  and  give  us  our  dinner  at  sunset;  but  this  was  so 
exceedingly  vulgar  that  he  could  not  be  brought  to  consent 
to  it.  With  great  difficulty  we  obtained  a  compromise,  and 
the  dinner  was  served  at  ten.  The  rich  of  Diarbekir  are 
well-known  for  the  luxuriousness  and  richness  of  their  ta- 
bles, for  the  excellence  of  their  liquors,  and,  I  am  sorry 
to  add,  their  very  free  use  of  them.  On  the  present 
occasion  we  assembled  soon  after  sunset,  from  which  time 
till  ten  o'clock  there  was  an  incessant  round  of  pipes,  na- 
ghilehs,*  coffee,  and  wine.  The  table  was  spread  with  a 
dozen  different  kinds  of  dried  fruit,  intended  as  a  provo- 
cative to  the  appetite.  Interspersed  among  them  were 
goblets  and  vases  filled  with  the  rosy  liquid.  These,  how- 
ever, were  only  for  show.  By  the  side  of  the  table  stood 
buckets  filled  with  iced  water,  and  in  them  stood  the  vessels 
from  which,  ever  and  anon,  the  servants  filled  the  glasses  of 
the  guests.  Now  and  then  one  would  perambulate  with  a 
smaller  vessel  and  a  waiter  of  cups,  each  holding  hardly 
more  than  a  large  thimble-full  of  rakkee,3  which  he 
would  administer  to  those  who  preferred  such  potent  li- 
quor. Think  of  such  a  ceremony  continuing  for  six  or 
even  three  hours.  But  the  Diarbekirlees  are  said  to  be  ac- 
customed to  it,  of  which  we  had  very  good  evidence  on 
the  present  occasion,  for  the  quantity  of  wine  and  rakkee 
which  was  sipped  without  producing  any  visible  effect,  ex- 
cept perhaps  to  render  the  conversation  a  grain  livelier,  was 
astonishing,  almost  incredible.  For  nearly  three  hours  it 
seemed  to  be  the  only  employment  of  two  or  three  servants 

1  The  Turks,  like  all  the  Orientals,  begin  their  day  at  sunset ;  that  is 
to  say,  sunset  is  with  them  twelve  o'clock.  The  hour  varies,  of  course, 
with  the  changes  of  the  sun. 

8  Turkish  water-pipe. 

3  Turkish  brandy,  distilled  from  the  juice  of  the  grape. 


102  VISIT    TO    THE 

to  fill  the  wine-cups  of  seven  or  eight  guests.  How  a  party 
of  men  continuing  in  this  way  till  one  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, could  find  after  all  capacity  for  dinner,  or  physical  power 
to  eat  it,  I  was  at  a  loss  to  conceive.  Upon  the  whole,  I  did 
not  like  this  specimen  of  Diarbekir  society,  far  exceeding, 
as  it  did,  some  rather  trying  specimens  which  I  had  witness- 
ed during  my  former  visit.  Least  of  all  was  I  satisfied  with 
the  evident  want  of  discernment  in  supposing  that  any  other 
than  a  man  of  Diarbekir  could  stand  such  a  preface  to  his 
dinner.  My  good  friends  (for  in  every  other  respect  they 
seemed  to  be  very  respectable  and  worthy  persons)  were 
disposed  to  treat  me  as  if  I  had  undergone  the  same  training 
with  themselves,  and  possessed  the  same  capability.  In  a 
word,  they  seemed  bent  upon  my  pursuing  a  course  by  which 
I  should  inevitably  have  lost  my  dinner,  and  been  unfit  for 
travelling  on  the  morrow.  It  is  the  height  of  incivility  to  be 
backward^on  such  occasions,  for,  like  all  Orientals,  the  people 
of  Diarbekir  judge  of  the  pleasure  which  a  guest  takes  in 
their  entertainment  by  the  quantity  which  he  eats  and  drinks, 
and  it  is  always  easier  to  comply  than  to  resist  their  tor- 
menting importunities.  But  after  carefully  considering  the 
matter,  and  balancing  between  the  impropriety  and  the  in- 
convenience of  excess  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  danger  of 
offending  my  host  on  the  other,  I  decided  in  favor  of  the 
latter,  and  by  the  aid  of  a  young  Greek  friend  present,  who 
declared  that  it  was  not  the  custom  of  Franks  to  drink  so 
immoderately,  I  was  enabled  to  keep  my  resolution. 

The  dinner,  when  it  came,  was  in  the  best  style  of 
Oriental  profusion  and  display.  I  will  not  describe  it,  for  I 
have  wandered  already  far  enough  from  my  object  in  allud- 
ing to  it  at  all — which  was,  to  say  that  I  introduced  the 
subject  of  the  poor  starving  wretches  in  the  streets,  in  the 
hope  that  the  clergy  at  least  would  second  my  appeal.  But 
the  result  was  that  I  found  no  sympathy  from  any  quarter. 
Neither  clergy  nor  laity  could  be  convinced  that  it  was  their 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  103 

duty  to  attend  to  any  other  than  their  own  poor,  and  as  for 
the  Kurds,  I  evidently  lowered  myself  in  the  estimation  of 
the  company  by  pleading  for  them. 

And  yet  these  Christian  men  had  sorrows  of  their  own, 
to  which  they  were  tremblingly  alive.  Many  was  the 
doleful  tale  which  they  poured  into  my  ears  of  their 
recent  persecution.  While  they  were  following  the  ex- 
ample of  the  Mohammedans  in  refusing  even  a  cup  of 
cold  water  to  perishing  men,  the  Mussulmans,  impelled  by 
some  sudden  burst  of  fanaticism,  rose  upon  them  and 
threatened  to  destroy  every  Christian  in  the  city.  They 
were  seized  and  beaten  in  the  streets.  Some  had  their 
bones  broken.  Others  escaped  and  hid  themselves  in  secret 
places.  Shops  were  broken  open  and  plundered.  Even 
Churches  were  wantonly  entered  and  desecrated  by  the 
ruthless  mob,  and  several  Christians  were  murdered  under 
their  own  roofs  in  cold  blood.  Men  of  note  were  hunted 
down  like  wild  beasts,  and  some  of  them  died  of  very  fear. 
For  several  days  there  was  a  period  of  awful  suspense.  Not 
a  Christian  was  to  be  seen  in  the  streets.  Every  one  lay 
hid  in  his  lurking-place,  fearing  lest  every  moment  might 
be  his  last.  Unfortunately  there  were  but  a  very  few  sol- 
diers in  the  city,  and  these,  in  their  semi-Frank  dresses, 
were  as  much  the  objects  of  indignation  as  the  Christians 
themselves.  "  You  are  the  men,"  it  was  said  to  them, 
"  who  are  sent  hither  to  make  us  all  Giaours."  The  Pasha, 
after  a  few  fruitless  attempts,  declared  himself  unable  to 
suppress  the  mob.  At  length  he  hit  upon  an  expedient 
which  succeeded  admirably.  He  caused  a  report  to  be  cir- 
culated in  the  city  that  Mohammed  Pasha  of  Mossoul  had 
been  sent  for,  and  was  marching  upon  the  city  with  a  large 
force.  The  trick  was  successful.  The  infuriated  Mussul- 
mans shrunk  back  at  the  name  of  the  terrible  Pasha  of 
Mossoul,  and  the  Christians,  half-dead  with  fear,  began  to 
creep  forth  from  their  hiding-places.  I  could  discover  no 


104  VISIT    TO    THE 

other  cause  for  this  infamous  outrage  than  sheer  Moham- 
medan bigotry,  in  which  the  Mussulmans  of  Diarbekir  are 
said  to  abound.  While  it  continued,  nearly  twenty  Chris- 
tians fell  a  sacrifice  to  their  fury.  Among  them  was  a  very 
respectable  Syrian  merchant,  who  entertained  me  during 
my  first  visit  for  three  days.  When  the  affair  came  to  be 
investigated,  it  was  found  that  the  principal  leaders  were 
among  the  most  respectable  Mussulmans  of  the  city.  One 
of  them  was  no  less  a  personage  than  the  Kadi  himself. 

The  Government  at  Constantinople  acted  on  the  occa- 
sion in  a  manner  very  creditable  to  itself.  Peremptory  orders 
were  sent  to  Diarbekir  that  the  Christians  should  be  pro- 
tected, and  the  offenders  subjected  to  the  punishment  which 
their  crimes  deserved.  Accordingly  the  authors  of  the  out- 
rage, about  twenty  in  number,  were  seized  and  sent  off  on 
foot,  under  a  strong  escort,  to  the  Pasha  of  Kharpout,  to 
whom  the  province  of  Diarbekir  is  subject,  but  whether 
they  ever  received  the  reward  which  their  flagitious  conduct 
merited,  I  am  unable  to  say.  It  is  not  an  uncommon  thing 
for  such  culprits  in  Turkey  to  escape  unpunished,  espe- 
cially if  they  are  Mussulmans,  and  the  offence  is  committed 
against  Christians.  There  is  little  of  equal  justice  in  the 
land,  least  of  all  in  the  provinces,  and  the  Christians  are 
generally  the  greatest  sufferers.  Their  testimony  is  not 
taken  against  Mussulmans,  while  they  are  themselves  sub- 
ject to  be  harassed  without  cause,  and  are  commonly  the 
first  objects  of  oppression.  I  know  that  there  are  excep- 
tions to  this  statement,  but  I  speak  of  the  general  order  of 
things. 


SYRIAN     CHURCH.  105 


CHAPTER    IX. 

Respect  for  Franks. — Interposition  in  behalf  of  Eastern  Christians. — 
Greek  Hospitality. — Visits  from  Ecclesiastics. — Relations  of  the  Na- 
tive Papal  Christians  with  Rome. —  Meeting  with  an  old  Friend. — False 
Reports  and  true  Reports. — Our  Company. — Kurdish  Village. — Es- 
cort.— Kurdish  Bey. — Polite  Robbery. — A  useful  Lesson. — Loose 
Friends. — Delays. — Present  State  of  Mardin. — Decay. — Reaction  of 
Reform. 

THERE  was  one  fact  connected  with  the  melancholy  out- 
rage upon  the  Christians  of  Diarbekir,  related  in  the  last 
chapter,  which,  if  correctly  reported  to  me,  as  I  believe  it 
to  have  been,  is  worthy  of  mention,  as  showing  the  respect 
and  even  fear  with  which  Europeans  were  at  that  time 
regarded  in  some  of  the  worst  parts  of  Turkey.  While  the 
commotion  was  at  its  height  and  the  native  Christians  were 
secreting  themselves  from  the  rage  of  their  enemies,  and 
Turkish  soldiers  were  flying  from  the  indignation  which 
their  half-Frank  garbs  brought  upon  them,  several  European, 
the  people  said  English,  travellers  were  in  the  city,  and  went 
freely  about  in  their  European  dresses  and  hats,  no  one 
venturing  to  molest  them.  One  or  two  years  before,  the 
same  experiment  under  the  same  circumstances  might  have 
been  hazardous.  But  the  events  of  the  last  year  in  Syria, 
commencing  with  the  bombarding  of  Beyrout,  and  ending 
with  the  reduction  of  Acre  and  the  retreat  of  a  Pasha  whose 
very  name  had  always  been  supposed  sufficient  to  strike 
terror  into  the  hearts  of  his  enemies,  have  created  a  deep 


106  VISIT    TO    THE 

and  even  extravagant  impression  of  the  skill  and'  power  of 
Europeans.  It  was  a  feeling  of  joy  and  hope  to  the  Chris- 
tians, of  awe  and  respect  to  the  Mussulmans.  The  former 
often  ask  why  this  power  has  never  been  exerted  in  their 
behalf.  Perhaps  it  may  yet  be.  The  train  of  events  seems 
fast  verging  towards  it.  But  such  an  interposition  ought 
not  to  be  desired,  excepting  conditionally.  The  Christians 
themselves  are  not  yet  prepared  for  it.  They  are  not  yet 
ready  to  appreciate  and  improve  the  new  state  into  which  it 
would  introduce  them, — a  state  of  greater  freedom,  of  new 
responsibilities  and  privileges,  which  they  only  can  use 
aright  whose  character  is  elevated  to  an  equality  with  and  a 
fitness  for  them.  Let  me  not  be  misunderstood.  No 
Christian  man  can  look  upon  the  present  state  of  the  East- 
ern Churches  and  reflect  upon  their  long  bondage  of  centu- 
ries, and  see  them  still  trodden  down  by  the  feet  of  Infidels, 
and  not  sigh  for  their  relief.  But  let  us  not  ruin  the  end  by 
premature  and  over-hasty  means.  It  would  be  vain  to  say 
that  our  Eastern  brethren  are  fairly  prepared  to  govern 
themselves  ;  and  as  to  ecclesiastical  freedom,  desirable  as  it 
is  in  itself,  it  might,  if  vouchsafed  at  the  present  moment, 
bring  in  an  endless  train  of  evils,  and  those  evils  the  very 
ones  which  would  most  mar,  if  not  wholly  prevent,  the  great 
blessings  of  religious  liberty.  Many  there  are  who  would 
abandon  their  Churches  forthwith,  if  they  were  now  let  loose 
from  the  strong  hand  of  power.  Ruptures  and  schisms 
without  end  would  arise.  Sects  of  seceders  innumerable 
would  spring  up.  Men  of  extravagant  zeal  and  little  know- 
ledge would  commence  a  destructive  warfare  upon  the 
Churches  in  which  they  were  baptized.  Infidels  would  join 
with  schismatics  in  overturning  the  foundations  of  the  tem- 
ple, and  the  Churches  themselves,  harassed  by  oppositions 
and  embittered  by  misrepresentations,  would  be  led  to  defend 
errors  which  now  exist  without  a  positive  sanction,  and  to 
establish  by  decrees  corruptions  which  are  now  floating 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  107 

without  order,  without  system,  in  the  ignorant  habits  and 
practices  of  the  people.  Let  philanthropists,  then,  of  every 
class,  beware.  The  evil  cannot  be  successfully  removed  by 
the  application  of  political  remedies  until  the  Churches  are 
elevated  in  themselves  by  the  gradual  revival  of  sound  doc- 
trine and  the  restoration  of  primitive  piety.  They  are  the 
philanthropists  whom  the  times  demand,  who  are  aiming  at 
these  ends,  circumspectly,  prudently,  carefully. 

Let  no  one  say  that  the  enslaved  state  of  the  Churches 
prevents  all  advancement.  The  case  is  not  so  bad  as  that. 
There  is  present  and  active  progress,  as  much  perhaps 
as  can  awaken  hope  without  exciting  fears, — perhaps  I 
might  say,  more,  for  there  are  some  who  feel  that  there  is 
already  reason  to  fear. 

I  ought  not  to  quit  Diarbekir1  without  acknowledging 
my  obligations  to  a  very  kind  Greek  friend,  who  received  me 
into  his  house  and  showed  me  every  attention  in  his  power. 
It  was  a  luxury  which  I  had  not  known  for  several  weeks, 
to  go  to  bed  in  a  civilized  manner,  for  neither  expedition  nor 
the  object  of  my  journey,  which  required  me  to  be  as  much 
as  possible  among  the  people,  would  allow  me  to  avail  myself 
of  such  appendages  of  comfort  as  a  tent,  bed,  and  other 
commodities  usually  esteemed  necessary  for  an  Eastern 
traveller.  My  friend's  hospitality  left  me  nothing  to  desire, 
excepting  that  the  profusion  and  richness  of  his  "  good 
creatures"  made  more  painful  the  contrast  of  misery  and 
starvation  in  the  streets. 

Most  of  the  visitors  at  the  house  were  ecclesiastics. 
Some  of  them  were  men  of  grave  and  seemly  manners,  with 
whom  it  was  a  pleasure  to  converse.  One  in  particular,  a 
native  Papal  Bishop,  who  like  myself  was  a  stranger  in  the 
city,  quite  won  my  love  by  his  quiet  and  unostentatious 

1  For  a  description  of  the  city  I  must  refer  the  reader  to  the  Narra- 
tive of  my  first  jonrney,  Vol.  II.  pp.  294-299. 


108  VISIT    TO    THE 

manners  and  the  simple  dignity  of  his  conversation.  He 
was  one  of  those,  of  whom  there  are  not  a  few  among  the 
native  Papal  Christians  of  the  East,  who  understand  well  the 
relations  in  which  they  stand  to  Rome,  and  make  a  broad 
distinction  between  a  bare  acknowledgment  of  the  primacy 
of  the  Pope,  beyond  which  many  do  not  go,  and  an  unreserved 
submission  to  whatever  emanates  from  Rome.  He  spoke 
freely  of  the  conduct  of  a  certain  agent  of  the  Pope,  an 
Italian  or  French  Bishop,  whom  he  evidently  knew  only  as 
a  Bishop  of  the  Europeans  residing  in  the  country,  though, 
to  my  own  knowledge,  he  put  himself  forth  as  having  juris- 
diction over  all  the  native  Churches  subject  to  the  Pope. 
Native  Bishops  acknowledging  the  Pope  have  often  found 
this  disposition  to  domineer,  on  the  part  of  Latin  emissaries, 
one  of  the  greatest  grievances  of  their  situation.  They  little 
dreamed  when  they  entered  upon  their  allegiance,  that  they 
should  ever  be  cramped  in  the  exercise  of  their  Episcopal 
office  by  the  interference  of  men,  sometimes  their  inferiors 
in  ministerial  rank,  professing  to  act  under  the  commands 
of  the  Pope.  Contests  and  misunderstandings  have  not  un- 
frequently  risen,  although  the  general  policy  of  Rome  has 
been  of  a  character  peculiarly  adapted  to  prevent  suspicion. 


We  left  Diarbekir  on  the  3d  of  June,  and  on  the  after- 
noon of  the  4th  reached  Mardin,  nearly  60  miles  distant,  by 
the  same  route  which  I  followed  in  1838.  At  Argana  I  had 
met  a  Tatar  coming  from  Bagdad,  who  gave  a  most  terrific 
account  of  the  state  of  the  country  between  Mardin  arid 
Mossoul.  The  Governor  of  Jezireh  was  at  war  with  the 
Pasha  of  Mossoul,  and  the  Yezidees  of  the  Sinjar  moun- 
tains, those  old  plunderers  of  the  desert,  were  in  rebellion. 
This  was  the  substance  of  the  story,  garnished  with  so  many 
particulars  of  robberies,  murders,  and  hair-breadth  escapes, 
as  gave  an  air  of  veracity  to  the  whole.  Accordingly  we 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  109 

Ind  left  Diarbekir  with  the  expectation  of  meeting  with  even 
greater  difficulties  and  dangers  than  I  had  been  led  to  anti- 
cipate from  the  monstrous  stories  which  I  heard  at  Sivas. 
Before  we  were  out  of  sight  of  the  city,  however,  we  were 
met  by  another  Tatar,  who  had  come  from  the  same  city 
over  the  same  route.  The  account  which  he  gave  was  not 
exactly  opposite  to  the  other,  but  very  near  to  opposite.  The 
Bey  of  Jezireh  was  not  at  war  with  the  Pasha  of  Mossoul, 
nor  were  the  Yezidees  in  rebellion.  Travelling  in  the  de- 
sert, however,  was  very  unsafe,  and  he  recommended  that 
I  should  not  attempt  it  without  a  strong  guard.  This  Tatar 
was  an  old  acquaintance,  had  been  with  me  in  two  journeys 
in  the  interior,  and  was,  I  knew,  a  trustworthy  man.  I  had 
never  known  a  Mussulman  for  whom  I  had  formed  so  strong 
an  attachment.  He  had  always  seemed  to  me  more  like  an 
inquirer  into  the  truth  of  Christianity,  than  a  hard-hearted 
infidel.  Often  had  we  conversed  together  seriously  and  sin- 
cerely about  his  religion  and  mine,  and  he  was  almost  the 
only  Mussulman  that  I  ever  saw,  who  believed  Christianity 
more  pure  and  elevating  in  its  moral  influence  than  Moham- 
medism.  I  was  almost  as  glad  to  see  him  as  if  he  were  a 
brother.  His  honest,  open  face  did  me  good,  and  I  will 
confess  the  meeting  relieved  me  of  some  anxiety,  and  so 
tended  to  make  tho  rest  of  my  journey  to  Mossoul  more 
agreeable.  Our  party,  however,  was  nnt  a  small  one,  for 
several  Mussulmans  from  Diarbekir  had  watched  our  de- 
parture, and  knowing  that  I  had  an  order  for  guards,  had 
joined  themselves  to  us.  One  of  them  was,  or  pretended  to 
be,  a  Turkish  officer,  who  carried  a  bottle  of  brandy  at  his 
side,  with  which  he  was  wont  to  arouse  his  sleeping  courage. 
Another  was  a  quiet  old  Mussulman  of  a  very  different  stamp. 
He  looked  npon  the  dereliction  of  his  brother  in  the  faith 
with  a  displeased  eye,  and  kept  himself  aloof  from  his  so- 
ciety. Indeed,  he  was  a  pest  to  us  all,  for  his  courage,  when 
aroused,  was  rather  of  the  stormy  sort,  and  breeded  quarrels. 

6 


110  VISIT    TO    TUB 

He  fell  out  with  one  and  another,  until  he  had  not  a  friend 
left  in  the  company;  so  he  was  permitted  to  ride  by  himself, 
and  finding  no  superior  object  to  pick  a  quarrel  with,  he 
every  now  and  then  fell  out  with  his  horse.  The  poor  beast 
followed  the  example  of  his  betters,  and  did  all  in  his  power 
to  get  rid  of  him.  At  length  he  fairly  succeeded,  and 
stretched  the  superior  brute,  his  master,  upon  the  grass. 
There  was  not  one  who  was  disposed  to  aid  in  catching  the 
quadruped  and  forcing  him  into  such  uncongenial  society 
again.  Who  would  wish  to  make  even  a  beast  companion 
to  a  drunkard? 

We  stopped  the  first  night  at  Khanik,  where  we  bought 
a  lamb  and  roasted  it  whole,  but  the  villagers  stole  it  during 
the  night  and  sent  us  off  without  a  breakfast.  A  ride  of 
two  and  a  half  hours  brought  us  to  the  village  of  Avgour, 
or  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  AH  Bey  Keui.  All  the  people 
are  Kurds,  and,  until  of  late  years,  they  were  all  robbers  by 
profession.  It  is  said  that  their  nature  has  not  changed, 
and  that  they  have  only  suspended  business  from  prudential 
motives,  since  they  lost  their  chief  by  a  sudden  and  violent 
death.  The  physician  who  was  with  me  was  at  that  time 
in  attendance  on  the  Pasha  who  ordered  the  execution,  and 
I  learned  from  his  account  that  the  act  was  not  precisely 
as  I  have  formerly  reported  it.1  It  was  even  more  sudden 
and  summary.  The  Pasha  arrived  with  a  strong  body  of 
soldiers,  and  almost  immediately  ordered  the  chief  to  be 
seized  and  shot,  which  was  done  before  he  had  time  to 
escape,  or  even  to  suspect  any  design  against  himself. 
The  people  at  once  fled  to  the  mountains,  and  returned, 
after  the  Pasha  had  departed,  more  peaceful  and  loyal  men. 
The  chief  had  left  a  young  wife  of  fifteen  or  sixteen,  who 
had  now  become  the  wife  of  a  very  young  man,  and  he,  in 
right  of  his  marriage,  chief  of  the  village.  We  rode  up  to 

1  Narrative,  &c..  Vol.  II.  p.  292. 


SYRIAN    CHUKCH.  Ill 

his  house,  the  same  where  I  had  formerly  spent  a  night, 
and  found  him  sitting  in  the  shade  before  the  door.  He 
was  thin,  and  slightly  made,  and  beardless  as  a  boy,  but 
erect  in  form,  and  dignified  in  his  manners.  He  said  little, 
bat  was  very  observant,  and  his  quiet,  serious,  searching 
look  was  not  at  all  calculated  to  put  one  at  his  ease  with 
him.  He  seemed  as  if  he  wished  to  find  out  who  and  what 
you  were,  yet  doubted  and  suspected  every  thing  that  you 
said.  We  endeavored  to  engage  him  in  pleasant  conversa- 
tion, but  he  looked  and  answered  with  the  same  serious  and 
retiring  manner,  as  if  he  suspected  some  design  in  it.  At 
length  we  opened  our  business,  and  told  him  we  wished 
for  guards  to  Mardin.  He  consulted  for  a  moment  with 
half  a  dozen  old  men  who  had  come  in  and  seated  them- 
selves at  his  side,  and  then  answered  that  no  guard  was 
needed.  The  physician  replied  very  plainly  that  we  would 
not  leave  without  one,  and  that  the  chief  himself  must  be 
of  the  party.  At  this  he  started  back  and  hesitated,  but 
the  physician  followed  him  up  and  promptly  rejected  every 
other  arrangement,  throwing  out  sundry  hints  of  serious 
consequences  to  himself  if  he  refused,  and  alluding  to  the 
bouyouroultou  of  the  Pasha  of  Diarbekir,  which  we  had 
been  careful  to  obtain.  The  young  man,  finding  that  he 
could  not  escape,  ordered  his  horse  to  be  brought,  and  re- 
tiring into  the  house,  soon  appeared  again,  armed  with  pis- 
tols, sword,  and  spear.  He  then  ordered  two  of  the  old  men 
to  accompany  him,  and  we  all  mounted  and  proceeded  on 
our  way.  I  was  not  a  little  astonished  at  the  boldness  and 
success  of  the  physician's  expedient,  but  it  soon  appeared 
that  it  was  planned  and  suggested  to  him  by  the  quiet  old 
Mussulman  in  our  company,  who,  while  the  little  con- 
troversy was  going  on,  sat  still  and  said  not  a  word.  He 
well  knew  that  the  presence  of  the  young  chief  would  be  a 
greater  security  than  twenty  horsemen,  but  as  he  himself 
lived  in  Diarbekir,  and  was  often  going  to  and  fro,  he  did 


112  VISIT    TO    THE 

not  wish  to  have  his  own  agency  in  the  matter  known  to 
the  chief,  who  might  some  day  find  an  opportunity  of  re- 
paying him  for  the  trouble  which  he  had  given  him. 

Under  this  powerful  escort  we  continued  our  journey 
free  from  alarm  or  fears,  though  \ve  met  with  several  parties 
of  Kurds,  whom,  from  their  appearance,  we  would  not  have 
wished  to  meet  alone.  They  all  knew  Ali  Bey,  the  young 
chief,  and  seemed  to  have  a  great  reverence  for  him.  He 
always  had  something  to  say  to  them  in  Kurdish,  with  which 
they  appeared  satisfied,  and  went  on  their  way.  Ali  Bey 
maintained  the  same  imperturbable  manner  throughout  the 
journey,  eyeing  one  and  another  of  us  constantly,  but  say- 
ing nothing.  Once,  however,  I  detected  him  in  close  con- 
versation with  my  servant,  with  his  eye  fixed  on  me.  Short- 
ly after,  Basil  rode  up  and  reported  that  the  Bey  had  been 
inquiring  into  the  contents  of  our  baggage,  and  had  asked 
particularly  whether  I  had  any  more  such  handkerchiefs  as 
1  wore  about  my  head,  and  whether  I  had  a  watch.  The 
poor  boy  was  quite  alarmed  by  the  import  of  the  questions, 
but  I  took  them  to  be,  as  they  doubtless  were,  only  indica- 
tions of  that  almost  childish  cupidity  for  pretty  things  which 
is  universal  among  the  Kurds.  The  youthful  Bey  was  only 
thinking  of  begging  a  present. 

When  we  reached  the  height  two  hours  from  Mardin, 
we  came  to  a  halt  by  the  cold  spring  which  gushes  from  the 
rock,  and  which  every  traveller  who  has  quenched  his  thirst  at 
it  on  a  hot  summer's  day,  will  long  remember.  Here  we  were 
to  take  leave  of  our  guards,  the  rest  of  the  way  to  the  city 
being  by  them  reported  perfectly  safe.  As  we  sat  together 
by  the  spring,  our  Kurdish  friends  began,  in  a  civil  way,  to 
ask  for  one  little  article  and  another,  and  before  we  parted 
from  them,  every  tobacco-bag  in  the  company  had  been 
emptied,  my  handkerchief  had  gone,  and  many  other  articles 
had  changed  owners.  They  took  them  without  any  thanks, 
while  their  eyes  began  to  glisten  with  desire,  excited  rather 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  113 

than  allayed  by  what  they  received.  There  was  no  reason 
to  fear  them,  because  we  were  stronger  than  they ;  but  their 
cupidity  growing  every  moment  more  exacting  and  less  res- 
pectful, we  thought  it  best  to  leave  them  without  ceremony, 
and  bidding  them  a  hasty  adieu,  rode  away.  The  old  Mus- 
sulman had  quietly  taken  himself  off  as  soon  as  he  heard 
their  requests  frr  property,  and  was  now  considerably  in 
advance.  As  soon  as  we  came  up  with  him,  he  gave  us  a 
gentle  lecture  for  our  imprudence,  and  said  we  should  not 
have  parted  with  a  single  article,  (we  had  given  them  a 
handsome  present  in  money  for  their  services,)  it  was  only  a 
genteel  way  of  robbing  us,  and  to  yield  to  it  was  only  tempt- 
ing them  to  proceed  to  less  civil  measures.  I  laid  up  the 
lesson,  in  my  heart,  for  I  knew  that  the  old  man  spoke  the 
truth.  A  Kurd  is  not  the  only  Eastern  in  whom  a  gift  ex- 
cites cupidity  instead  of  gratitude.  I  am  sorry  to  say,  it  is 
a  common  infirmity  of  Eastern  character,  and  great  as  is  the 
allowance  to  be  made  for  it,  at  least  in  the  case  of  Chris- 
tians, indignant  even  as  we  may  be  at  the  infidel  tyranny 
which  has  crushed  manliness  of  sentiment  and  disinterested 
feeling,  we  cannot,  as  practical  men,  forget  the  fact,  or  neg- 
lect to  estimate  it  in  our  plans  and  efforts. 

All  our  companions  from  Diarbekir  had  come  with  us 
for  the  sake  of  protection,  knowing  that  we  had  it  in  our 
power  to  obtain  guards  ;  but  when  we  parted  from  the 
Kurds,  there  was  nothing  more  to  be  gained  from  us,  and 
every  man  made  the  best  of  his  way  to  the  city,  leaving  us 
to  follow  as  rapidly  as  the  physician's  heavy  baggage  would 
allow.  There  was  still  a  good  deal  of  alarm  among  us  with 
regard  to  the  six  miles  of  desolate  country  which  lay  be- 
tween us  and  Mardin,  and  we  thought  our  good  friends  who 
had  had  the  benefit  of  our  assistance  thus  far,  might  have 
given  us  theirs  now  that  we  had  only  each  other  to  depend 
upon.  But  they  unfortunately  reasoned  in  another  manner, 
somewhat  thus  :  "  There  being  no  more  guards,  the  best  ex- 


114  VISIT    TO    THE 

pedient  (that  is,  for  ourselves)  is  to  hurry  on  as  rapidly  as 
possible  to  the  city."  They  all  abandoned  us,  therefore,  even 
to  the  quiet  old  Mussulman.  How  perfectly  Eastern  again  ! 
We  fared,  however,  none  the  worse  for  being  left  alone. 
As  soon  as  our  old  friends  saw  us  safely  arrived  in  the  city, 
those  of  them  who  intended  to  prosecute  their  journey  to 
Mossoul  began  to  court  our  society  again,  and  inquire  when 
we  intended  to  leave. 

I  need  not  detail  all  the  reasons  which  led  me  to  depart 
somewhat  from  my  original  intention,  and  proceed  immediate- 
ly to  Mossoul.  The  reader  has  little  interest  in  knowing 
them.  One  was — arid  it  was  enough — that  the  season  was 
already  far  advanced,  and  everyday  was  increasing  the  dan- 
ger of  crossing  the  desert.  If  I  was  to  visit  Mossoul,  the 
sooner  the  better.  The  people  at  the  post-house,  however, 
did  not  seem  to  have  the  same  sense  of  the  value  of  time. 
We  were  detained  three  whole  days  for  horses,  and 
kept  on  the  alert  by  messages  sent  every  few  hours  to  the 
house  to  inform  us  that  they  were  ready,  and  would  speedily 
be  at  the  gate.  This  would  continue  from  day-break 
till  about  9  A.  M.,  when  it  was  too  late  to  start  ;  and  again 
from  4  P.  M.  till  sunset,  after  which  we  couFd  not  pass  the 
city-gates.  When  we  complained,  there  was  always  some 
plausible  reason  ready,  and  when  we  did  not  complain, 
the  next  morning  or  evening  would  pass  without  any  mes- 
sage. ' 

Mardin  had  been  transferred  from  the  pashalik  of  Khar- 
pout  to  that  of  Mossoul,  since  my  last  visit ;  the  Governor 
that  formerly  ruled  it,  a  son-in-law  of  Hafiz  Pasha,  had  died 
on  the  field  of  Nezib,  or,  as  others  told  me,  of  grief  and  mor- 
tification at  the  defeat  ;  one  other  Governor  had  been  put  to 
death  by  the  mob ;  a  third  had  been  deposed ;  and  a  fourth 
had  just  entered  upon  his  office.  By  famine  and  bad  gov- 
ernment the  town  had  decayed  ;  houses  then  standing  were 
now  in  ruin  ;  the  population  had  diminished  ;  filth,  and  all 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  115 

other  signs  of  neglect  and  decay,  had  increased.  I  had  be- 
fore thought  well  of  the  place  ;  it  now  struck  me  most  un- 
favorably. Then  all  was  contentment  and  peace  ;  now  all 
was  complaint  and  fear.  Many  of  the  Christians  had  fled 
from  oppression  or  starvation.  The  new  Governor  had  just 
had  a  personal  combat  with  his  predecessor,  in  which,  in- 
stead of  appealing  to  arms,  they  settled  their  differences  with 
their  pipe-sticks.  In  a  word,  three  years  before,  under  the 
reforming  rule  of  Hafiz  Pasha,  Mardin  was  following  fast  in 
the  rapid  progress  towards  European  civilization  which  Sul- 
tan Mahmoud  created,  in  appearance  at  least,  all  over  the 
Empire.  But  that  active  and  innovating  spirit  has  departed, 
and  Mardin,  like  many  other  cities,  has  felt  the  reaction. 
At  the  time  of  my  former  visit  perfect  security  reigned  ; 
now  stories  of  midnight  robberies  and  murders  were  current 
among  the  people  ;  and  it  was  not  thought  altogether  safe 
for  foreigners  to  sojourn  there  long 


116  VISIT    TO    THE 


CHAPTER    X. 

Preparation  for  the  Desert. — A  sad  Tale. — Arab  Village. — Scene  at 
Evening.— Our  Company. — The  Desert  at  Night. — Nisibin.site  of  an- 
cient Nisibis — Its  present  State. — GaarJ. —  Roure  over  the  Desert. — 
The  Orphan. — Moral  Ejects  of  the  Famine. — Indifference  of  the  Gov- 
ernors.— Journey  by  Night. — Depredations  on  the  Villagers. — Search 
for  Water.— Salt  Lake.— The  Heat. 

WE  prepared  ourselves  for  the  desert  with  about  thirty 
pounds  of  bread,  a  goat-skin  of  water,  and  large  felts  to 
shield  us  from  the  sun  when  we  halted  by  day.  Weary  of 
waiting  for  post-horses,  we  engaged  the  jaded  animals  of  a 
muleteer  who  had  just  arrived  from  Mossoul.  We  were  to 
dep:irt  before  daylight,  and  of  course  did  not  depart  till  after 
sunrise.  If  we  had  told  our  muleteer  we  should  leave  at 
midnight,  we  might  have  started  at  the  time  actually 
app  )inted.  It  is  always  necessary,  in  Eistern  travelling,  to 
pred  ite  in  this  way. 

The  horses  with  which  we  travelled  had  brought  from 
Mossoul  a  Turkish  Bey  and  his  harem.  They  were  from 
Bagdad,  on  their  way  to  Cc  nstantinrple.  At  present  I  had 
hardly  the  curiosity  to  inquire  who  they  were,  but  a  few  weeks 
gave  me  an  interest  in  them  which  has  never  ceased.  On 
my  return  from  Mossoul,  while  Bitting  one  day  in  my  room 
in  the  Monastery  of  Z  ifran,  near  Mardin,  a  woman  entered, 
dressed  in  the  style  of  a  Turkish  female  of  Constantinople. 
Her  appearance  at  once  attracted  my  attention,  for  I  had 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  117 

never  seen  the  yashmak1  south  of  the  Euxine.  After  a  very 
respectful  obeisance,  she  spoke  in  the  pure  and  sweet  Turk- 
ish of  the  Capital.  She  said  that  she  was  a  Syrian  by  birth, 

of  the  village  of ,  near  Jezireh,  that  she  had  been 

taken  captive  six  or  seven  years  before,  by  Rahvandouz  Bey, 
in  his  sack  and  pillage  of  the  country  north  of  the  Tigris. 
By  him  she  had  been  sold  at  Mossoul  or  Bagdad,  and  had 
finally  come  into  the  hands  of  Ali  Pasha,  in  whose  palace 
she  had  served  as  a  maiden  of  the  harem  several  years,  and 
was  finally  released  when  the  Pasha  heard  that  a  firman  had 
been  issued  for  the  recovery  of  all  the  Christians  taken 
captive  by  the  Kurdish  Bey.  Among  them,  besides  herself, 
was  a  young  sister  often  years,  who  had  been  sold  to  a  Bey 
of  Bagdad,  and  had  now  become  an  inmate  of  his  harem. 
The  Bey  was  the  same  whose  horses  I  had  taken  from  Mar- 
din.  As  1  was  now  going  to  the  capital,  the  good  woman 
begged  that  I  would  interpose  for  the  release  of  her  sister, 
saying,  with  many  tears,  that  she  was  her  only  surviving 
relation,  and  that  if  she  could  not  come  back  to  her,  she 
would  herself  go  to  Constantinople  for  the  sake  of  being  near 
her.  I  did  not  forget  the  commission,  but  my  efforts  were 
unsuccessful.  The  girl  had  been  induced  to  profess  Mo- 
hammedanism, and  had  become  the  wife  of  the  Bey  and  a 
mother,  After  this  change  no  firman  could  be  obtained  for 
her  release,  nor  was  there  any  hope  that  she  would  accept 
it  if  it  could  have  been  effected.  What  has  become  of  the 
elder  sister,  I  know  not.  I  sent  her  intelligence  of  my  want 
of  success.  Whether  she  is  still  mourning  the  loss  of  her 
nearest  and  dearest  relative,  or  has  sought  her  out  among 
the  thousands  of  the  great  city,  I  have  never  heard ;  but  the 
incident  of  her  sudden  appearance  before  me  at  the  monas- 
tery, and  her  message  of  sadness,  have  remained  in  my 

1  Turkish  veil,  worn  by  the  Turkish  and  Armenian  women  of  Con- 
stantinople. 


118  VISIT    TO    THE 

memory  among  a  long  array  of  similar  tales  of  distress  which 
I  have  heard  at  different  times  in  Turkey,  and  which  ofte.i 
come  back  to  remind  me  how  many  hearts  in  this  broad 
world  pine  in  secret,  and  how  many  sorrows  remain  untold 
in  the  history  of  our  race. 

At  8  A.  M.  the  heat  was  so  great  that  we  were  obliged 
to  stop  at  Kherin,  a  Mussulman  village  three  hours  from 
Mardin.  Along  the  road  the  peasants  were  reaping  their 
barley,  and  in  one  place  we  passed  a  field  of  melons  just 
transplanted,  which  covered  about  ten  acres.  At  Kherin, 
which,  when  I  passed  three  years  before,  was  entirely 
deserted,  I  now  found  a  thriving  village  of  fifty  families,  all 
of  which,  with  the  exception  of  a  solitary  Chaldean,  were 
Arabs.  The  women,  as  is  common  in  the  villages,  were 
uncovered,  and  most  of  them  were  ornamented  with  a  line 
of  blue  spots  from  one  corner  of  the  mouth  to  the  other, 
passing  over  the  chin. 

As  the  day  declined,  the  little  village,  which  had  been 
quiet  under  the  noontide  heat,  presented  a  lively  and  bust- 
ling scene.  The  herds  were  driven  in  from  abroad.  The 
women,  with  their  faces  bare,  and  displaying  the  tin  and 
bead  bracelets  on  their  wrists,  were  running  to  and  fro,  some 
engaged  in  culinary  preparations  for  the  evening  meal,  some 
bringing  water  from  the  village  well,  and  some  tending  the 
babies.  The  old  men  were  assembling  on  the  roofs,  where 
each  family  was  spreading  its  beds  for  the  night,  for  even  at 
this  early  season  (the  8th  of  June)  it  was  more  comforta- 
ble there  than  within  doors.  The  houses  were  all  of  sun- 
baked earth,  the  roof  consisting  of  timber  covered  with  oak- 
boughs,  straw,  and  earth,  in  successive  layers.  Out  of  doors 
was  the  oven,  lined  with  burnt  clay  and  heated  with  straw 
and  sheep's  dung;  the  baking  being  effected  by  plastering 
the  thin  cakes  of  dough  upon  the  rounded  roof  and  sides 
within. 

We  did  not  stop  to  partake  of  the  good  cheer  which  the 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  119 

din  of  preparation  promised,  but  packed  up  the  remnants  of 
a  lamb  which  we  had  roasted,  and  started  about  an  hour 
before  sunset.  Our  company  was  now  a  large  one.  A  few 
had  come  with  us  from  the  city,  and  others,  who  had  been 
watching  our  departure  for  several  days,  followed  us  as 
soon  as  we  passed  the  gates.  Among  the  company  was  a 
Mussulman  family,  who  inarched  a  very  little  in  our  rear, 
closely  attended  by  the  master  in  person  ;  and  when  we 
stopped,  always  encamped  a  few  rods  away  from  us. 

Still  and  quiet  we  pursued  our  way  over  the  desert, 
saw  the  sun  go  down  into  the  plain  just  as  it  sinks  into  the 
calm  ocean,  and  the  daylight  go  silently  out.  Hour  after 
hour  stole  by,  and  still  we  went  on,  on,  on,  with  a  measured, 
sober  tread,  over  the  boundless  level.  Several  times 
we  lost  our  way,  and  great  was  our  astonishment  when  we 
came  to  a  village  that  we  thought  was  far  behind  us. 
Many  leagues  distant  towards  the  Tigris,  the  plain  was  all 
on  fire,  the  flames  of  which  now  rose  and  writhed  and  soar- 
ed, and  now  gave  place  to  a  dark  cloud  of  smoke,  rising  and 
rolling  away  in  endless  convolutions. 

As  the  day  broke,  we  found  ourselves  near  Nisibin, 
where  we  halted  till  night  came  round  again.  This  little 
village,  the  site  of  the  famous  city  where  James  of  hallowed 
memory  lived,  and  the  school  of  Christian  sages  attracted 
students  from  the  distant  East,  is  now  a  den  of  thieves. 
Kurds,  Arabs,  Christians,  Jews,  the  offscouring  of  the  cities 
and  refugees  from  justice,  have  all  taken  shelter  in  Nisibin. 
Its  great  attraction  is  that  it  is  free  from  taxes,  (an  exemp- 
tion established  by  Hafiz  Pasha,  for  the  sake  of  enticing 
settlers,)  and  is  too  unhealthy  for  an  honest  man  to  live  in. 
Such  a  spectacle  of  filth  and  ugliness  as  its  one  hundred 
and  fifty  houses  presented,  I  thought  I  had  never  seen,  even 
in  the  miserable  villages  of  Turkey.  Close  by  our  tent  lay 
a  dead  man,  swollen  and  rotting  in  the  hot  sun,  and  there, 
to  all  appearance,  he  was  to  lie,  like  the  carcass  of  a 


120  VISIT    TO    THE 

horse,  till  the  dogs  devoured  him.  The  villagers  were  pass- 
ing to  and  fro,  but  no  one  noticed  him.  Where  he  lay 
when  we  arrived,  he  lay  when  we  left. 

We  wished  to  have  started  at  evening,  but  our  guards 
were  not  ready  till  three  hours  after  sunset.  They  came  at 
last,  fifteen  stout  men,  armed  with  spear,  and  gun,  and 
sword,  and  with  them  an  unarmed  guide,  a  black,  fierce- 
looking  Arab,  that  spoke  hardly  a  word  to  the  end  of  the 
journey.  We  had  come  thus  far  from  Mardin  alone,  but 
the  rest  of  the  way  was  accounted  dangerous.  A  quarrel 
had  arisen  between  the  Bey  of  Jezireh  and  certain  soldiers 
of  the  Pasha,  which  compelled  us  to  avoid  the  road,  which  lay 
in  part  through  the  country  of  the  former,  and  strike  for  Mos- 
soul,  straight  through  the  desert,  where  there  was  no  path, 
nor  water,  nor  signs  of  life.  This  would  carry  us  into  rather 
a  dangerous  proximity  to  the  Yezidees  of  Sinjar,  whose  old 
habits  of  plunder  it  could  hardly  be  hoped,  were  entirely 
abolished  and  forgotten  in  four  years  of  professed  but  very 
doubtful  loyalty.1  There  was  also  a  report  that  a  famous 
Arab  chief,  Soufouk  Bey,  had  been  plundering  in  that  part 
of  the  desert,  and  might  at  any  moment  appear  in  our  path. 
I  suppose  it  was  reports  of  this  kind  which  chilled  the 
courage  of  our  party,  for,  when  we  started,  not  a  man  of  all 
who  had  accompanied  us  from  Kherin  made  his  appearance, 
and,  like  the  Pilgrim,  we  went  on  our  way,  and  saw  them 
no  more. 

We  were  destined,  however,  to  have  female  society  in 
our  rude  journey  over  the  desert.  One  of  our  guards,  who 
bore  only  a  spear,  had,  in  the  place  of  other  accoutrements, 
a  Kurdish  girl  of  16,  whom  he  carried  behind  him  on  his 
horse.  He  had  found  her  in  Nisibin  perishing  with  famine, 

1  These  inveterate  robbers  of  the  desert  were  subdued  in  their  own 
mountains  by  Hafiz  Pasha,  during  the  summer  of  1837.  See  Narrative 
of  a  Tour,  &c.,  II.  p.  266. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  121 

and  was  now  taking  her  to  Mossoul  to  make  her  his  wife. 
I  was  disposed  to  believe  him,  for  lie  treated  her  with  kind- 
ness all  the  way,  and  gave  her  the  best  morsel  to  eat,  and 
spake  gently  to  her  when  she  was  weary.  She  had  no  friend 
but  him  in  the  wide  world.  Father  and  mother,  brothers 
and  sisters  were  all  gone  ;  and  he,  a  stranger,  had  taken  her 
to  him,  to  protect  arid  comfort  her.  Sweet  everywhere  in 
this  sorrowing  world  is  it  to  see  the  kindlier  sympathies  of 
man's  nature  in  exercise,  but  nowhere  more  sweet  than  in 
the  desert,  and  among  rude  and  barbarous  men.  The  girl, 
too,  was  modest  and  well-looking.  She  rode  apart  from  the 
company  with  her  companion,  and  carefully  concealed  her 
face  from  the  gaze  of  others.  I  thought  it  was  also  a  re- 
deeming trait  in  the  rough  character  of  our  guards,  that 
they  did  not  attempt  to  intrude  upon  their  comrade,  but  left 
him  with  his  charge  to  pursue  their  way  as  they  pleased. 

It  was  one  dreadful  feature  of  the  famine  that  had  lately 
depopulated  the  villages,  that  it  dissolved  the  ties  of  nature, 
kindred  and  morality.  Parents  sold  their  daughters  for  a 
morsel  of  food,  and  girls  who  had  lost  their  parents  sold 
themselves  for  nothing  to  any  body  who  would  support  them. 
During  the  whole  of  these  distressing  scenes,  the  Turkish 
Governors  seem  never  to  have  dreamed  that  they  had  any 
interest  or  concern  in  relieving  the  wants  of  their  starving 
people.  I  thought  of  appealing  to  the  fat  Pasha  of  Diarbe- 
kir,  a  monster  of  a  man,  whose  circumference  was  equal  to 
his  longitude,  but  everyone  told  me  that  it  would  be  useless, 
so  I  desisted.  In  fact,  the  Turks  seemed  to  think  it  a  good 
opportunity  to  get  rid  of  bad  subjects,  and  it  was  vain  to 
urge  the  claims  of  humanity  against  their  peculiar  views  of 
state  policy. 

After  a  sleepless  day  at  Nisibin,  we  travelled  all  night  over 
the  desert,  crossing  before  midnight  three  little  streams,  from 
one  of  which  we  frightened  a  herd  of  wild  hogs,  that  scam- 
pered away  in  the  dark,  while  into  another  we  only  escaped, 


J22 


VISIT    TO    THE 


by  the  superior  instinct  of  our  horses,  from  plunging  our- 
selves. Before  1  A.  M.  we  judged  by  the  baying  of  dogs 
that  we  were  passing  near  some  village,  and  soon  after,  we 
came  upon  a  field  of  barley,  ready  for  the  sickle.  Here  our 
guide  ordered  a  halt,  arid  every  man  excepting  myself  dis- 
mounted, and  coolly  taking  off  his  horse's  bridle,  let  him 
loose  into  the  barley.  I  pleaded,  remonstrated,  and,  as  one 
must  sometimes  do  with  Easterns,  stormed,  in  vain.  The 
guards  coolly  replied  that  the  horses  would  not  eat  enough 
to  make  the  difference  perceptible.  I  remained  some  time 
upon  my  horse,  heartily  wishing  that  the  dogs  would  come 
after  us.  But  their  barking  sounded  no  nearer,  and  at  last 
ceased,  when  the  guards  quietly  laid  themselves  down  and 
went  to  sleep.  Seeing  resistance  useless,  I  dismounted  also, 
and  gave  my  horse  to  the  muleteer,  who  quickly  set  him  to 
work  with  the  others.  According  to  our  contract,  he  was  to 
provide  fodder,  and  he  would  not  allow  me  to  dictate  to  him 
the  mode  of  doing  it.  I  laid  down  upon  the  ground,  but 
was  so  vexed  that  I  could  not  sleep ;  so  I  consoled  myself  as 
well  as  I  could,  with  eating  bread  and  cheese.  After  an 
hour  I  walked  over  the  ground.  There  was  hardly  a  stalk 
of  barley  left  standing.  Thirty  hungry  horses  had  been  em- 
ployed upon  it  for  an  hour.  What  had  not  been  consumed, 
was  trodden  down.  I  thought  of  the  dismay  of  the  poor 
villagers  when  they  should  come  to  look  after  their  harvest ; 
and  yet  a  kind  Providence,  that  watches  over  all,  had  per- 
mitted us  to  come  and  destroy  the  hard-earned  produce  of 
their  toil.  I  called  up  the  guards,  and  pointed  to  the  very 
"perceptible  difference"  that  we  had  made  in  the  appear- 
ance of  the  field.  The  only  conclusion  which  they  drew  from 
it  was  that  their  horses  had  had  enough.  I  had  thought 
that  they  would  be  frightened  when  they  saw  what  they  had 
done,  but  they  appeared  so  cool  about  it  that  I  began  to 
suspect  that  the  villagers  who  owned  the  field  were  Chris- 
tians. There  are  pome  Syrians  in  this  part  of  the  desert. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH. 


123 


We  were  following  no  path,  and  were  therefore  obliged 
to  trust  solely  to  the  sagacity  of  the  guide.  I  know  not 
how  he  calculated,  but  I  kept  my  eye  ever  and  anon  upon 
the  stars,  fixing  the  cardinal  points  by  the  polar  constella- 
tion. Judging  from  that  faithful  monitor,  whose  presence, 
with  that  of  all  his  sister  constellations,  has  often  in  the  long 
weary  nights  been  to  me  society,  our  course  was  by  no 
means  straight  forward.  Without  any  imaginable  cause, 
our  guide  led  us  hither  and  thither,  to  the  right  and  the 
left,  the  north  and  the  south.  Perhaps  he  was  asleep.  I 
told  him  we  were  wrong,  but  he  was  the  guide  and  could 
do  as  he  pleased.  When  morning  broke,  he  looked  round 
after  the  tels,  or  mounds,1  and  professed  to  guide  us  by 
them.  His  business  was  to  lead  us  to  water,  but  he 
went  to  sleep,  and  his  horse  went  on,  and  continued  for 
some  time  to  perform  the  duties  of  his  master  before 
we  discovered  under  what  guidance  we  were.  He,  the 
master,  was  evidently  bewildered,  and  kept  us  wandering 
to  and  fro  with  the  hope  of  finding  water  somewhere. 
At  length  he  brought  us  to  a  lake,  whose  waters  were  saline 
and  undrinkable.  The  water  had  receded,  and  left  a  strong 
mineral  deposit  on  the  shore.  All  around  were  tracks  of 
wild  hogs,  and  a  few  birds  were  there.  All  the  rest  was 
barren,  cheerless  desert,  covered  with  dry,  yellow,  prickly 
shrubs,  scorched  and  baked  by  the  sun.  We  stopped  here 
two  hours,  for  no  other  purpose  that  I  could  discover,  but 
to  look  at  the  lake  and  wish  that  we  could  drink  of  it. 
When  we  approached  it,  the  guide  declared  it  was  the  very 
water  he  was  looking  for,  which  agreeable  announcement 
had  induced  the  muleteer  to  throw  off  his  loads,  and  when 
this  was  done,  it  was  hard  to  persuade  him  that  we  were 


1  The  desert  is  dotted  in  different  places  with  these  singular  mounds, 
which  appear  to  be  artificial. 


124  VISIT    TO    THE 

not  encamped  for  some  hours.  But  the  terrible  heat,  which 
seemed  to  come  down  with  tenfold  intensity  upon  the  light 
soil  and  white  deposit  about  the  lake,  and  the  impatience 
of  the  horses  for  the  water  which  they  could  not  drink, 
sickened  us  all  of  the  thought  of  staying  there  till  evening. 
Indeed,  it  was  only  a  little  less  evil  to  move  than  to  stay, 
for  the  sun  poured  such  merciless  rays  upon  us  that  it  was 
hard  to  bear  them  any  where. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  125 


CHAPTER    XI. 

Encampment  at  Night. — Boar  Chase. — Repast. — Night  March. — Search 
for  Water. — The  Sinjar  Mountains. — Conflagration. — Sudden  Depart- 
ure.— The  Gazelle.'.— Robber's  Watch  Height — Camel  caught. — Road 
lost. — Peasants. — Their  Timidity. — Its  Cause. — Abou  Maria. — Ret- 
rospect.— Last  Day. — Reception  in  a  Skeikh's  Tent. — Reach  the  Ti- 
gris.—A  Nap.— The  City. 

WE  left  our  encampment  by  the  lake,  and  after  various 
meanderings  and  turnings,  came  at  length,  perfectly  exhaust- 
ed, to  a  little  pool  of  water  which  the  rushes  had  kept  from 
drying  up.  It  was  all  that  remained  of  the  spring  rains,  and  a 
fc\v  more  days  would  have  sufficed  for  its  disappearance.  We 
sat  by  it  for  a  time  after  quenching  our  thirst,  and  felt  it  to 
be  a  real  luxury  to  repose  in  the  green  fresh  grass  on  the 
edge  of  it.  We  were  loth  to  leave  it,  but  our  way  was  J^ng, 
and  we  were  compelled  to  travel  yet  farther  in  order  rightly 
to  divide  our  stages.  So  we  started  again,  and  in  about  an 
hour  came  to  the  water  which  the  guide  had  been  in  quest 
of,  and  which  was  a  little  stream  running  down  from 
H:iznaour  on  the  road  from  Nisibin  to  Mossoul.  It  ran  in  a 
deep  gully  which  it  had  worn  in  the  soil,  and,  though  narrow 
and  insignificant  in  appearance,  was  not  easily  approached 
with  our  heavy  baggage  horses  nor  easily  forded.  We  suc- 
ceeded, however,  in  crossing  it,  and  in  two  and  a  quarter 
hours  more,  came  to  a  green  spot  where  there  seemed  to  be 
both  grass  and  water.  The  one  necessity  was  as  great  as  the 
other,  for  the  muleteer,  reckoning  upon  finding  grass,  had 


120  TISIT    TO    THE 

laid  in  only  a  small  stock  of  barley,  while  the  guards  had 
none  at  all.  We  thought  it  best,  therefore,  to  encamp  for 
the  night.  The  day  was  far  spent,  and  most  of  the  party 
were  weary  with  our  long  march.  Still  another  circumstance 
helped  us  to  form  the  same  resolution.  Just  before  we  reached 
the  place,  we  started  up  a  herd  of  swine,  some  twenty  in 
number,  with  nearly  as  many  young.  In  a  moment,  the 
whole  party,  excepting  only  the  Kurdish  girl,  her  lover  and 
myself,  started  off  in  pursuit.  It  was  a  brisk  and  stirring 
scene.  The  Mussulmans  were  intent  only  upon  adventure, 
but  our  party  had  the  nobler  purpose  of  getting  a  dinner. 
The  hogs,  however,  had  the  advantage  of  the  jaded  horses, 
and  being  themselves  very  fleet  of  foot,  they  soon  outran 
them.  Our  party  were  about  abandoning  the  chase,  when 
they  saw  that  several  of  the  young  ones  were  left  behind, 
and  were  running  off  in  another  direction.  This  renewed 
the  sport,  and  at  length,  with  much  ado,  they  succeeded  in 
killing  two  and  taking  another  alive.  The  little  things  ran 
and  turned  with  a  celerity  that  quite  surprised  me,  who  had 
never  seen  any  others  of  the  race  than  their  quiet  and  sober 
brethren  of  the  sty.  They  proved,  however,  to  be  real  pigs, 
and  we  promised  ourselves  the  luxury  of  fresh  pork  in  the 
desert.  But  here  a  difficulty  arose.  The  guard,  being 
Mussulmans,  would  not  touch  the  unclean  creatures  with 
one  of  their  fingers.  We  next  applied  to  the  muleteer,  but 
he  was  of  the  same  faith,  and  quietly  turned  away,  saying, 
"  What  have  I  to  do  with  pigs  ?"  We  were  thus  left  to  our 
own  resources,  and  with  the  aid  of  our  servants,  completed 
the  task.  The  question  then  arose,  how  they  were  to  be 
cooked.  We  begged  the  guards  to  lend  us  a  ramrod  for  a 
spit,  but  even  this  they  refused.  So  we  were  compelled  to 
put  the  meat  on  the  fire,  and  let  it  roast  as  it  might.  The 
guards  looked  at  us  with  half-averted  eyes  as  we  partook  of 
the  delicious  morsels.  One  of  the  party  confessed  that  he 
had  drunk  wine,  "  but  never,"  he  said,  "  have  I  committed 


SYRIAN    CHURCH. 


127 


the  abomination  of  eating  a  pig."  Some  Armenians,  though 
Christians,  are  of  the  same  opinion,1  but  my  companion,  the 
physician,  was  not  one  of  them,  nor  did  his  fellow-traveller 
or  his  servant  seem  inclined  to  the  Mohammedan  dogma, 
though  they  also  were  Armenians.  Basil  was  a  Greek,  and 
knew  of  no  cause  for  scruple  upon  the  subject.  So  we  all 
ate  heartily,  although  the  meat,  for  want  of  salt,  seemed  very 
fresh,  and  we  had  nothing  to  supply  the  place  of  vegetables 
but  a  crust  of  our  dry  bread  and  a  bit  of  cheese. 

The  little  pig  that  we  took  alive  was  tied  by  the  hind- 
leg,  and  let  loose  into  the  reeds,  from  which  he  would  ever 
and  anon,  at  short  intervals,  make  an  attack  upon  our  en- 
campment, grunting  and  running  headlong  into  the  midst 
of  us,  and  biting  right  and  left.  I  interceded  for  his  re- 
lease, that  he  might  go  in  search  of  his  mother,  but  the 
Mussulmans  thought  it  best  to  slaughter  the  unclean  crea- 
ture ;  whereupon  the  physician  showed  his  dexterity  by  un- 
sheathing his  sword,  creeping  up  to  the  pig,  and  striking  his 
head  off  at  a  blow. 

By  this  time  the  whole  herd  had  appeared  again  in  the 
distance,  and  we  set  the  guard  to  watch  their  movements. 
They  wandered  about  as  if  in  quest  of  their  lost  ones,  and 
a  straggler  from  the  herd  came  so  near  that  one  of  the 
guard  took  a  long  shot  at  him  without  effect.  The  mon- 
strous animal  turned  leisurely  round,  and  went  back  to  his 
comrades.  As  soon  as  the  darkness  set  in  we  began  to 
load  our  horses.  The  place  of  our  encampment  afforded 
but  little  water,  and  we  almost  drained  the  reeds  dry  before 
we  departed.  We  had  a  long  march  before  us  ere  we  could 

1  This  is  particularly  true  of  the  Armenians  of  Cappadocia,  and,  as 
Emong  the  Syrians,  who  hold  the  same,  it  is  doubtless  a  Judaizing  opin- 
ion received  from  Apostolic  ages.  The  Syrians  positively  prohibit  the 
use  of  swine's  flesh,  and  I  have  known  their  Patriarch  to  threaten  with 
ecclesiastical  discipline  some  who  had  violated  the  law.  It  is  singular,  if 
the  Nestorians  are  of  the  Ten  Tribes,  that  they  have  no  such  scruples. 


138 


VISIT    TO    THE 


reach  water  again,  and  some  of  the  party  were  affected  with 
serious  apprehensions  that  the  hogs  which,  as  long  as  we 
could  see  them,  had  heen  gradually  approaching  us,  would 
come  upon  us  in  the  night  and  wreak  their  vengeance  for 
the  slaughter  of  their  young  ones,  whose  blood  had  stained 
the  grass  around  us,  while  one  of  them  lay  dead  at  our  side. 
We,  therefore,  started  about  midnight,  and  although  nothing 
was  said  about  hogs  as  the  motive  for  departure,  I  have  no 
doubt  that  some  of  us  were  considerably  relieved  at  the 
thought  of  escaping  an  encounter  with  twenty  enraged  an- 
imals as  large  and  powerful  as  bears,  and  much  more  fero- 
cious. 

It  was  Ihe  night  of  the  lOth-llth  of  June,  and  within 
a  few  days  of  the  summer  solstice,  yet  the  air,  which  had 
been  so  oppressive  during  the  day,  was  now  cool  and  re- 
freshing, and  towards  morning  even  uncomfortable.  There 
must  have  been  a  change  of  50°  in  the  temperature,  within 
twelve  hours.  At  two  or  three  o'clock  P.  M.  it  was  al- 
most too  hot  for  flesh  arid  blood  to  endure;  before  midnight 
it  began  to  be  cool,  and  near  morning,  cold.  The  heat  was 
not  altogether  in  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun,  but  as  much 
perhaps  in  the  powerful  reflection  from  the  light  arid  soil 
of  the  desert.  To-day  (June  "llth)  it  was  somewhat  mod- 
erated by  a  strong  wind.  Moreover,  we  had  now  reached 
higher  ground  lying  out  from  the  Sinjar,  and  were  close  at 
the  foot  of  those  formidable  mountains.  Our  guide  had 
again  mistaken  his  course,  and  during  the  night  had  been 
travelling  in  a  direction  due  south.  At  day-dawn  we  rec- 
tified our  mistake,  and  continued  until  we  encamped  at  two 
P.  M.,  making  a  march  of  fourteen  hours,  during  which  we 
did  not  alight  or  stop.  The  heat,  though  less  than  yester- 
day, was  sufficiently  intense  to  be  very  uncomfortable,  and 
man  and  horse  were  ready  to  drop  with  fatigue  and  thirst. 
Scouts  were  sent  out  in  every  direction  in  search  of  water, 
but  returned  unsuccessful.  We  ascended  every  mound  and 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  129 

went  down  into  every  hollow  in  vain.  All  around  was  one 
broad,  sterile  plain,  scorched  and  seared  by  the  rays  of  the 
burning  sun.  Some  of  the  party  wished  to  stop  for  repose, 
but  I  would  not  listen  to  the  suggestion,  for  fear  that  if  our 
horses  once  laid  down,  they  would  never  rise  again.  I  rode 
for  vard  with  one  of  the  guard  in  the  direction  prescribed, 
and,  after  some  hours'  search,  succeeded  in  rinding  a  little 
water  in  a  ditch  overgrown  with  reeds.  It  was  warm  and 
muddy,  and  full  of  insects,  but  nevertheless  it  was  water, 
and  we  hastened  back  to  give  the  news  to  our  famishing 
friends.  They  received  it  with  exultation,  and  the  poor 
beasts,  as  if  aware  of  what  was  in  store  for  them,  readily 
obeyed  their  drivers,  and  started  off  at  a  new  pace.  We 
were  soon  at  the  spot,  and,  without  waiting  for  precedence, 
every  man  and  horse  went  down  on  his  knees  to  drink. 
But  little  of  the  water  which  had  filled  the  ditch  was  left, 
and  this  little  was  fast  evaporating  in  the  heat.  There  was 
barely  enough  to  satisfy  our  present  necessity.  Had  we 
come  a  day  or  two  later,  we  should  have  found  none.  One 
heart  at  least  was  gfateful  for  the  God-send.  It  was  as 
timely  a  blessing  as  if  it  had  been  brought  by  miracle  from 
the  flinty  rock. 

We  were  now  close  to  the  foot  of  the  mountains  and 
near  the  barley-fields  of  the  Yezidees.  Above  us  could  be 
descried  several  villages,  and  a  building  which,  the  guard 
informed  me,  was  a  place  of  pilgrimage.  The  heights  were 
covered  with  the  vine,  the  fig,  and  other  fruit-trees,  whose 
dark  green  foliage  presented  a  strong  contrast  with  the  sun- 
burnt hue  of  the  desert.  Water  abounds  in  the  mountains, 
and  we  had  determined,  if  the  desert  failed  us,  to  ascend  to 
the  nearest  village  for  a  supply.  Happily  we  were  saved  the 
necessity,  We  quenched  our  thirst  among  the  reeds,  and 
ordered  our  servants  to  light  a  fire  and  prepare  coffee.  For 
this  purpose  they  cleared  a  spot  of  the  dry  herbage,  and 
proceeded  with  all  due  caution  lest  the  fire  should  commu- 


130  VISIT    TO    THE 

nicate  to  the  desert.  But  our  precautions  proved  in  vain. 
A  spark  in  some  way  caught  the  adjoining  shrubbery  and 
burst  into  a  blaze.  In  an  instant  all  was  commotion.  Our 
tents  were  pulled  down,  and  every  man  seizing  one  of  the 
felts  of  which  they  were  composed,  or  a  carpet,  or  a  horse- 
cloth, began  to  beat  the  fire  in.  We  were  twenty  active 
men,  working  with  all  our  might;  when  the  alarm  was 
given  the  fire  was  not  more  than  a  yard  or  two  broad  ;  on 
one  side  too  was  a  ditch  it  could  not  pass  ;  and  yet  with  the 
greatest  ado  we  succeeded  in  quelling  it.  It  spread  with 
the  quickness  of  lightning,  and  a  very  few  minutes  would 
have  sufficed  to  carry  it  into  the  ripe  grain.  "  If  it  reaches 
the  barley,"  exclaimed  the  guard,  "  the  Yezidees  will  come 
upon  us  and  kill  every  man  of  us."  This  was  a  very  anima- 
ting consideration.  Another,  still  more  pressing,  was,  that 
before  it  reached  the  barley,  it  would  consume  our  own 
baggage.  And  yet  there  was  one  man  Mussulman  enough 
to  sit  still  and  say,  "  It  is  God's  work  ;  I  will  not  interfere 
with  it."  His  fatalism  would  soon  have  been  put  to  the 
test,  for  if  the  fire  had  advanced  a  few  yards  farther,  he 
would  have  been  excited  to  activity  or  burnt  where  he  sat. 

The  great  smoke  which  rolled  off  from  the  burning 
brushwood  alarmed  us  so  much  with  the  fear  of  alarming 
the  Yezidees,  that  though  we  had  hardly  composed  ourselves 
to  rest,  we  thought  it  best,  with  the  advice  of  the  guard,  to 
mount  and  away.  Our  horses  were  speedily  laden,  and  we 
were  soon  marching  again  in  the  heat  of  the  day.  On  the 
road,  one  of  the  guard  found  a  young  gazelle,  which  was 
sleeping  on  the  desert.  As  we  came  to  it,  it  turned  up- 
wards its  deep  black  eyes,  and  bleated  as  if  expecting  its 
mother.  It  was  too  young  to  run  away,  arid  I  carried  it 
before  me  on  the  saddle,  having  spread  under  it  my  cloak 
for  a  bed.  Its  soft  look  and  timid  voice  so  won  upon  me 
among  the  barbarous  sights  and  sounds  of  the  desert,  that  I 
determined,  if  possible,  to  save  it  and  carry  it  back  to  be  the 


SYRIAN    CHURCH. 


131 


companion  of  a  little  boy  in  Constantinople.  But  he  was 
not  destined  to  receive  the  present.  We  stopped  at  sunset 
and  lighted  our  fires  in  a  little  dell,  where  we  found  a  spring 
of  delicious  water,  which,  collecting  in  a  basin  hollowed  in 
the  rock,  and  overflowing  its  brim,  glided  off  into  the  valley. 
Here  we  stopped  two  hours,  and  when  we  mounted  again  I 
asked  after  the  gazelle.  The  guards  had  killed,  cooked,  and 
eaten  it,  and  now  alleged  in  excuse  that  it  could  not  have 
lived  without  milk,  and  we  had  none  to  give  it.  I  was 
compelled  to  be  content,  and  we  went  on  our  way. 

About  one  hour  before  we  reached  this  valley,  we  had 
passed  a  lofty  mound  on  the  left,  standing  out  like  a  solitary 
sentinel  guarding  the  approach  to  the  heights.  On  the  top 
was  an  enclosure,  intended,  as  the  guards  said,  to  secrete 
watchmen  or  robbers.  In  former  days,  when  the  hills  were 
independent  of  foreign  sway,  news  of  an  enemy  or  booty 
moving  over  the  desert,  used  to  be  given  by  signal  from  this 
mound,  and  was  afterwards  repeated  from  summit  to  sum- 
mit along  the  heights.  Then  came  the  mustering  and  the 
foray,  the  sudden  attack  upon  the  caravan,  as  if  of  men 
rising  out  of  the  desert,  the  skirmish,  the  plundering,  and 
the  return.  We  looked  up  to  the  stone  wall  which  formed 
the  enclosure.  All  was  silent  and  deserted.  We  blessed 
ourselves  that  the  former  times  had  gone  by. 

The  valley[supplied  no  grass.  The  water  from  the  rock 
gave  life  only  to  tall  green  rushes.  Our  horses  had  eaten 
nothing  since  yesternight,  excepting  a  small  allowance  of 
barley,  which  in  Turkey  takes  the  place  of  oats,  a  grain 
little  known.  We  were  forced,  therefore,  to  resume  our 
march,  although  we  had  travelled  eighteen  hours  with  only 
one  brief  interval  of  rest.  During  the  day,  one  of  the  party 
had  caught  a  camel  that  had  been  let  loose  apparently  from 
the  Pasha's  camp,  which  had  lately  passed  this  way  on  its 
route  to  the  Euphrates.  The  animal  still  showed  marks  of 
hard  usage,  but  had  sufficiently  recovered  his  health  and 


132  VISIT    TO    THE 

spirits  to  be  very  refractory  and  turbulent.  As  we  left  the 
valley,  he  broke  loose  from  his  keeper  and  started  for  the 
desert.  The  guide  must  needs  join  with  the  others  in  pur- 
suing him,  whereby  we  lost  our  way,  which  was  of  far  more 
importance  than  the  camel,  and  wandered  about  in  the  dark 
until  we  struck  a  road  going  to  Tel  Afar,  an  Arab  village 
south  of  our  route.  We  had  intended  to  reach  Kassi  Keu- 
pru,  on  the  main  road  from  Mossoul  to  Nisibin,  but  having 
found  a  beaten  track,  we  were  loth  to  leave  it.  After  three 
hours'  ride,  we  found  to  our  great  joy  both  grass  and  water, 
and  stopped  till  morning. 

At  early  dawn  we  were  on  horse  again,  and  keeping  the 
Tel  Afar  road,  the  sight  of  a  cultivated  country,  with  wheat 
fields  and  reapers,  soon  greeted  our  eyes.  I  should  rather  ex- 
cept thelatter,  for  as  soon  as  they  saw  us  they  left  their  sheaves 
and  fled.  I  was  ready  at  the  moment  to  pour  a  lamentation  over 
their  misery.  Poor  peasants  :  how  sad  and  insecure  their 
state  !  They  reap  their  fields  with  trembling,  and  fly  at  the 
sound  of  the  passing  traveller.  They  know  no  peace.  The 
hand  of  civil  power  oppresses  them,  or  the  robber  of  the 
desert  wrests  from  them  their  hard-earned  pittance.  But 
wait  a  little,  and  you  will  hear  another  tale.  Six  months 
later  and  this  same  villagers  depopulated,  and  its  inhabitants 
carried  away  by  force,  on  account  of  their  crimes.  They 
are  found  to  be  leagued  with  the  Arab  plunderers  of  the 
desert,  and  their  walled  village  is  the  mart  where  the  ill-got 
gains  are  bought  and  sold.  By  order  of  government  they 
are  broken  up  and  dispersed  like  a  gang  of  thieves.  Their 
fear  when  we  approached,  was  it  indeed  the  terror  of  therp- 
pressed  innocent,  or  the  trembling  of  conscious  guilt  ? 
From  our  appearance  they  might  take  us  to  be  Pasha's 
men,  (as  in  truth  three-fourths  of  the  party  were,)  and 
these  are  the  very  last  people  they  would  wish  to  meet 
with. 

We  did  not  visit  their   village,  but,  leaving  it  to  the 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  133 

right,  went  off  over  the  hills  to  Abou  Maria,  a  small  village 
only  one  hour  distant  from  Kassi  Ketipru.  Here  we  were 
kindly  received  by  the  Sheikh,  or  head-man,  who  killed  a 
lamb  in  honor  of  our  arrival,  and  set  it  before  us  stewed  in 
onions,  with  a  dish  of  rich  yo-oort  for  dessert. 

This  was  the  fifth  day  since  we  left  Mardin,  and  our 
journey  had  been  at  least  more  pleasant  than  we  had  anti- 
cipated. The  heat,  though  severe,  had  often  been  moderated 
by  refreshing  winds,  and  the  nights  had  been  deliciously 
cool.  We  had  suffered  chiefly  from  want  of  sleep,  (I  had 
not  slept  an  hour  for  four  days,)  and  this,  with  the  glare  of 
the  sun  upon  the  desert,  had  rendered  me  almost  blind.  My 
face,  too,  had  literally  baked  ;  so  that  it  cracked  open,  and 
the  blood  oozed  out  of  the  fissures.  To-day  there  was 
no  wind,  and  the  air  was  as  the  heat  of  a  furnace.  We 
hung  upon  our  horses  like  wilted  leaves,  and  as  we  travelled 
on  through  the  noontide  hours,  drooping  and  exhausted,  no 
one  had  strength  or  spirit  to  speak.  Silently  and  sadly, 
therefore,  we  rode  up  to  the  Sheikh's  tent,  (for  he  with  all 
his  people  had  abandoned  their  houses,  and  were  living  in 
tents,)  and  dismounted  before  his  selamlik.1  Here,  too,  we 
sought  in  vain  for  sleep.  The  Sheikh,  and  half  the  people 
in  the  village,  must  be  entertained,  and  when  they  were 
gone,  the  fleas,  whose  nature  it  is  to  commence  their  antics 
as  soon  as  the  traveller  lies  still  to  rest,  would  not  give  us  a 
moment's  repose. 

At  sunset  we  mounted  again,  cheered  by  the  thought 
that  it  was  our  last  stage.  The  Sheikh  conducted  us  half 
an  hour  upon  our  road,  and  departed  with  a  handsome  pre- 
sent, slipped  into  his  hand  and  received  as  if  it  were  una- 
wares. Nothing  occurred  to  interrupt  our  journey,  except- 
ing a  hurricane  of  wind  and  rain,  with  lightning,  which 

1  That  part  of  a  house  or  tent  devoted  to  men,  in  distinction  from  the 
harem  or  place  of  the  women. 

7 


134  VISIT    TO    THE 

compelled  us  to  dismount  and  hold  our  horses  by  the  bridle 
for  two  long  hours.  The  scene  was  most  terrific  and  sub- 
lime. Now  we  were  involved  in  thick  darkness,  and  anon, 
in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  the  heavens  and  the  desert  were 
lighted  up  with  a  blaze  of  glory,  which  as  suddenly  disappear- 
ed, leaving  us  again  in  utter  obscurity.  I  had  my  baggage 
horse  placed  to  windward,  and  sat  down  under  my  own 
horse's  belly  till  the  storm  had  passed.  It  continued  two 
hours,  and  then  subsided.  The  pale  moon  began  at  length 
to  creep  out  from  the  thick  clouds  by  which  she  had  been 
completely  hidden,  and  to  shed  her  light  upon  the  ragged 
masses  of  vapor  which  sped  by  her  with  the  rapidity  of 
the  whirlwind.  At  daybreak  we  were  upon  the  banks  of 
the  Tigris,  an  hour  or  two  distant  from  Mossoul.  I 
could  withstand  it  no  longer,  but  dismounted,  threw  myself 
upon  the  ground,  laid  my  head  upon  a  stone,  and  for 
one  sweet  hour  slept  profoundly.  When  I  awoke,  the  sun 
was  up,  and  its  rays  were  playing  upon  the  breast  of  the 
stream.  Most  of  the  party  had  mounted  and  gone  forward 
on  their  way.  The  physician  was  still  asleep,  and  the  old 
muleteer  watching  beside  us,  half  asleep  himself.  We 
roused  the  doctor,  mounted,  overtook  our  party,  and  went 
with  them  to  the  city. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  135 


CHAPTER   XII. 

The  English  Church  at  Mossoul. — State  of  the  Christians. — Divisions. — 
State  of  Learning. — The  Nestorian  and  Chaldean  Churches. — History 
of  their  Separation. — Subjection  of  the  latter  to  the  Pope. — The  Na- 
ture of  Romish  Innovations. 

As  soon  as  we  entered  the  city,  I  went  at  once  to  the 
British  Consulate,  and  on  opening  the  gate,  was  greeted  by 
the  Vice-Consul  himself.  I  had  written  to  him  early  in 
the  spring,  promising  to  be  in  Mossoul,  Deo  volente,  by 
the  middle  of  June.  It  was  now  the  thirteenth,  and  though 
my  journey  had  been  interrupted  and  hindered,  and  I  had 
been  driven  out  of  my  way,  I  was  here  true  to  my  word. 
It  was  Sunday  morning,  and  every  thing  within  wore  that 
quiet,  Sabath-like  appearance  which  I  had  always  associated 
with  the  holy  day.  How  refreshing  to  turn  from  the 
sterile  desert,  the  noontide  heat,  the  rude  faces  of  my 
Arab  guard,  to  such  a  scene  as  this  !  How  glad  was  I  to 
doff  my  soiled  and  stained  travelling  gear,  and  be  once 
more  a  Frank  among  Franks  !  A  few  hours'  repose  were 
allowed  me,  and  then  we  gathered  in  the  library,  and, 
though  hardly  exceeding  the  two  or  three  who  may  claim 
the  promise,  we  offered  our  worship  in  the  faith  that  our 
blessed  Lord  was  in  the  midst  of  us.  Above  us  floated  the 
cross  of  England,  high  waving  over  dome  and  minaret, 
giving  at  once  all  the  protection  that  human  strength  can 
afford,  and  showing  far  and  wide  the  badge  of  the  faith  in 
which  we  worshipped. 


136  VISIT    TO    THE 

This  is  thy  glory,  England.  In  hoc  signovinces.  What 
are  the  conquests  of  thine  arms  if  they  carry  not  with  them 
the  conquest  of  thy  faith  ?  Better  far  that  thy  sun  go  down 
in  darkness,  than  that  thou  be  disobedient  to  Him  whose 
sign  thou  bearest.  Bind,  then,  thy  strength  to  the  cross. 
Wherever  the  arts  of  peace  or  the  voice  of  war  lead  thee, 
bear  this  thy  sacred  sign  with  thee.  Let  it  sanctify  thy 
victories.  Let  it  guide  thy  sway.  Gather  under  it  thy 
children  wandering  in  all  lands.  Lift  it  high  where  idola- 
try and  superstition  reign.  So  shall  there  be  to  thee  a 
memorial  unto  many  generations.  So  shall  thy  name  and 
thy  power  be  linked  with  what  is  enduring  and  immortal. 
All  else  will  perish ;  be  true  to  thy  sign. 

When  the  flag  of  England  was  first  raised  upon  the 
consulate  at  Mossoul,  the  whole  city  were  gathered  upon 
their  roofs  to  witness  the  sight,  and  remained  there  most  of 
the  day  gazing  upon  the  novel  spectacle.  The  Christians 
were  filled  with  wonder  and  admiration  at  the  appearance 
of  the  cross  floating  in  mid  air,  while  the  Mussulmans, 
enraged  at  the  sight,  went  to  the  Pasha  and  complained 
that  it  was  soaring  above  the  crescent  on  a  mosque  that 
stood  close  by.  Great  was  the  joy  of  the  Christians  when 
they  saw  the  emblem  of  their  faith  thus  exalted,  and  much 
they  wondered  at  the  power  which  could  elevate  it  in  the 
very  midst  of  Mohammedanism.  For  many  a  long  age  of 
oppression  their  eyes  or  the  eyes  of  their  fathers  had  not 
been  cheered  by  such  a  sight;  the  cross  had  humbled  itself 
before  the  crescent ;  their  religion  had  been  associated  in 
their  minds  with  degradation  and  captivity  ;  when  suddenly 
they  behold  its  despised  badge  unfurling  and  floating  on 
the  sky  triumphantly,  in  the  face  of  its  enemies.  Is  it  to 
be  wondered  that  from  morning  till  evening  they  sat  gazing 
upon  that  joyous  emblem,  and  can  it  be  doubted,  that  when 
the  sun  went  down  they  slept  with  a  new  sense  of  security 
and  peace  ? 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  137 

The  state  of  the  Christians  in  Mossoul  is  not  essentially 
different  from  what  it  was  at  the  time  of  my  first  visit.1 
Their  number  has  rather  diminished  than  increased.  Time 
was  when  their  twelve  Churches  were  crowded  with  wor- 
shippers. Half  of  them  are  now  shut  and  the  grass  is  grow- 
ing at  the  door-stone.  The  Syrians  have  four,  the  Church 
of  St.  Thomas,  which  is  the  Bishop's  Church,  the  Church  of 
Mahoudeni,  and  two  Churches  of  St.  Mary.  Of  these,  two 
only  are  occupied,  and  these  two  are  divided  between  the 
two  parties,  Syrians  and  Syrian  Papists.  The  walls,  which 
were  built  by  royal  order  in  1837,  were  thrown  down  by 
royal  order  in  1838,  and  by  royal  order  built  again  a  few 
•months  after.  They  now  stand  in  the  middle  of  each 
Church,  a  dividing  wall  between  the  two  parties,  who  wor- 
ship as  enemies  under  the  same  roof  where  their  fathers 
assembled  in  peace  and  love.  Then  no  foreign  intruder 
had  entered  their  peaceful  fold.  Now  they  are  divided,  torn, 
weakened,  preying  upon  and  devouring  each  other.  When 
they  worship  it  is  no  longer  before  one  altar,  but  with  a  wall 
between  them,  as  if  jealous  of  each  other's  sacrifice.  Their 
two  Bishops  grew  up  together  as  brothers,  read  together, 
talked  together,  prayed  together.  Now  they  are  leaders  of 
hostile  bands.  The  Syrian  Papists  are  seceders  from  the 
Syrians,  and  though  we  must  acknowledge  that  they  have 
gained  thereby,  in  that  they  no  longer  reject  the  Council  of 
Chalcedon  and  receive  the  orthodox  phraseology  respecting 
the  nature  of  Christ,  yet  the  act  of  allegiance  to  a  foreign 
Bishop  is  itself  a  violation  of  ancient  Canons  on  their  part,2 

1  See  Narrative  of  a  Tour,  &c.  Vol.  II.  Chaps.  XIX.  XX.  and  XXI. 

1  It  is  even  a  violation  of  the  Canons  of  the  Council  whose  decrees 
of  faith  they  have  received  in  centra-distinction  from  the  Syrians,  who 
reject  them.  "  Let  not  a  Bishop  go  into  another  city  not  belonging  to  his 
jurisdiction,  to  ordain  any  one,  or  to  constitute  Priests  or  Deacons  for 
places  subject  to  another  Bishop,"  &c.  Can.  22  of  the  Council  of  Antioch, 
A.  D.  341,  confirmed  by  the  Council  of  Chalcedon,  A.  D.  451,  Can.  1. 


138  VISIT    TO    THE 

and  of  unwarranted  usurpation   on  the  part  of  their  sedu- 
cers. 

The  two  Churches  of  the  Syrians  have  six  priests,  all  of 
them  from  the  lower  walks  of  life,  and  none  of  them  trained 
for  the  priestly  office.  Two  were  weavers,  two  tailors,  one 
a  farmer,  and  one  a  carpenter.  From  these  occupations 
they  entered  almost  at  once  the  sacred  ministry.  Their 
Bishop,  only  a  few  years  before  his  consecration,  was  labor- 
ing as  a  cotton-printer.  It  is  easy  to  suppose  that  the  man 
of  God  thus  entering  the  holy  office,  cannot  be  very 
thoroughly  furnished  for  his  work.  .And  so  it  is  to  a  very 
great,  a  very  lamentable  degree,  in  all  the  Eastern  Churches. 
One  might  now  search  in  vain  among  the  Syrians  for  the 
schools  of  Nisibis,  or  Edessa,  or  for  a  James  of  Saruj,  a  James 
of  Nisibis,  a  John  of  Dara,  or  an  Ephrem.  The  present 
Patriarch  has  shown  a  laudable  desire  for  the  education  of 
his  people,  and  has  labored  to  establish  a  school  in  every 
town  and  village  under  his  jurisdiction.  But  the  difficulty 
has  been  to  find  either  teachers  or  books.  From  the  state 
of  the  clergy,  one  may  safely  infer  the  state  of  the  people. 
And  as  for  books,  a  modern  literature  is  wholly  wanting, 
and  the  ancient  literature  is  in  a  very  decayed  condition. 
Copies  of  the  Syrian  Fathers  are  rare,  and  the  ability  to 
multiply  them  by  the  expensive  process  of  transcription  is 
gone.  The  people  are  too  poor  to  buy  them.  The  price  of 
a  book  of  200  pages,  which  a  Syrian  deacon  had  transcribed 
for  an  English  clergyman,  was  $25 ;  and  the  price  of  a  copy 
of  the  Bible,  at  the  same  rate,  would  be,  I  suppose,  not  less 
than  seventy-five  or  a  hundred  dollars.  It  is  no  matter  of 
wonder,  therefore,  that  hardly  any  books  besides  those  con- 
taining the  offices  of  the  Church,  are  ever  transcribed. 

Next  comes  the  Want  of  teachers.  There  is  only  here  and 
there  a  man,  even  among  the  priests,  who  understands  the 
ancient  language  in  which  the  Church  books  are  written, 
and  although  I  know  every  one  who  is  considered  a  learned 


8YR1AN    CHURCH.  ioy 

man  among  them,  I  can  enumerate  only  three  or  four  who 
are  good  scholars  in  Syriac. 

Add  to  this  the  utter  destitution  of  all  branches  of  know- 
ledge, art,  science  and  literature,  whose  rich  treasures  have 
been  opened  upon  the  Western  World  since  the  revival  of 
learning,  and  you  behold  a  want  deeper  than  that  of  the 
darkest  ages  of  Europe.  Then  learning  still  shed  its  light 
in  cloistered  retreats,  while  there  is  not  now  to  be  found  in 
town  or  village,  in  church  or  monastery,  among  the  Syrians, 
a  Christian  sage  who  is  thorough  master  of  his  own  Bar 
Ibri,  or  is  working  out  the  rich  products  of  his  own  mind. 

Under  such  circumstances  the  schools  of  the  Patriarch 
have  succeeded  but  poorly.  The  best  of  them  are  in 
Mossoul,  where  they  have  enjoyed  the  patronage  of  a  wealthy 
Armenian,  the  banker  of  the  Pasha.  One  of  these  is  under 
the  direction  of  a  friend  of  mine,  a  Syrian  deacon,  who  is 
esteemed  one  of  the  best  Syriac  scholars  in  the  nation  ;  and 
yet  the  schools  present  no  higher  advantages  than  learning 
to  read  the  Syriac  character  without  understanding  it,  an 
equivalent  knowledge  of  Arabic,  which  is  better  understood 
because  it  is  the  common  tongue  of  the  people,  and  pen- 
manship. Grammar,  geography,  arithmetic,  the  natural 
sciences,  history,  mathematics,  philosophy,  the  useful  arts, 
polite  literature,  ecclesiastical  and  even  scholastic  learn- 
ing are  well  nigh  unheard  of  and  unknown.  Nay  more,  the 
fountains  of  religious  knowledge  are  shut  up,  and  its  fertiliz- 
ing streams  cut  off.  A  child  is  taught  to  say  the  Creed  and 
the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  even  these  he  does  not  always  under- 
stand, while  the  vast  field  of  religious  faith  and  duty  is  left 
untrod.  What  a  deplorable  deficiency  !  What  a  truly  aw- 
ful destitution ! 

There  are  in  Mossoul  three  divisions  of  Christians, 
Chaldeans ,  Syrians,  and  Syrian  Papists.  The  first  and  last 
are  adherents  of  the  Pope,  and  together  are  more  numerous 
than  the  Syrians,  who  are  ecclesiastically  called  Yacobi,  or 


140  VISIT    TO    THE 

Jacobites,1  but  the  justice  of  the  title  may  be  doubted.  The 
Chaldeans  are  the  old  Syro-Chaldean  Church,  deriving  its 
succession  from  the  Metropolitans  of  Seleucia  and  Ctesiphon. 
This  Church  generally  embraced  the  cause  of  Nestorius,  and 
so  continued  until  about  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
when  the  oneness  of  the  Church  was  broken  by  a  dispute 
about  the  succession  to  the  Patriarchate,  and  two  Patriarchs 
were  eventually  created.  One  of  them,  whose  successors 
hold  the  name  of  Mar  Shimon,  obtained  jurisdiction  over 
the  Syro-Chaldeans,  or  Nestorians,  of  Kurdistan  and  the 
neighboring  district  of  Ourmiah,  in  Persia.  The  other, 
whose  successors  assumed  the  official  title  of  Mar  Elias, 
obtained  the  old  Patriarchal  see  of  Alkosh,  near  Mcssoul, 
and  held  jurisdiction  over  the  Nestorians  of  Mesopotamia 
and  the  southern  borders  of  Kurdistan.  Things  remained 
in  this  state,  the  two  Churches  still  one  in  faith  though  under 
distinct  heads,  until  about  sixty  years  ago,  when  the  last 
Patriarch  of  Al  Kosh  was  induced  by  violence  and  bribes  to 
acknowledge  the  supremacy  of  the  Pope.  The  way  was 
thus  opened  for  the  gradual  subjection  of  nearly  the  entire 
Church  of  Mar  Elias  to  the  sway  of  Rome.  I  had  always 
supposed  that  the  work  had  been  completed,  and  that  now 
there  remained  none  of  this  Church  who  still  adhered  to 
their  old  faith  and  rejected  the  papal  supremacy.  I  had  been 
so  informed  by  every  one,  in  my  former  journey  through  the 
country,  and  I  conveyed  the  impression  to  others  in  the 
Narrative  of  my  Tour.2  But  I  was  myself  the  first  to  dis- 
cover the  error,  for  on  my  return  from  Mossoul,  the  present 
year,  I  took  the  route  north  of  the  Tigris,  where  I  found  a 
large  remnant  of  Nestorians  of  the  Church  of  Mar  Elias  who 
still  retain  their  former  faith  and  have  not  come  under  the 

1  Followers  of  Jacobus  Baradaeus,  (Yacoub  Bardani,)  who  revived 
their  Church  in  the  6th  century. 
3  Vol.  II.  229,  Am.  Ed. 


ttYKIAN    tin  K>  M.  141 

Papal  jurisdiction.  Later  investigations  have  also  shown 
that  there  are  still  others  in  the^province  of  Bahdinan,  North 
of  Mossoul.  These  are  quite  distinct  from  the  Nestorians 
of  the  Church  of  Mar  Shimon,  which  still  adheres  entirely 
(excepting  a  few  seceders  in  the  district  of  Salmas,  in  Persia) 
to  the  old  position  which  it  has  maintained  since  the  separa- 
tion of  the  16th  century.  There  are,  then,  the  Nestorian 
Church  of  Mar  Shimon,  (sometimes  called  Chaldean;)  the 
Chaldean  Church  of  Mar  Elias,  (sometimes  called  Papal 
Chaldean;)  and  a  remnant  of  the  latter  who  have  never 
acknowledged  the  Pope,  and  still  remain  Nestorians.1  These 
last  are  without  a  Patriarchal  head,  but  have  a  Bishop  of 
their  own  who  resides  in  the  mountains  not  far  from  Jezireh. 
Upon  the  demise  of  the  late  Patriarch,  Mar  Elias,  who 
had  held  the  office  more  than  half  a  century,  and  died  in 
1838,  at  the  age  (as  was  commonly  reported)  of  120  years, 
the  office  should  have  descended  in  regular  succession  to 
his  nephew,  who  was  living  at  Al  Kosh,  and  whose  baptis- 
mal name  was  Elias.2  But  the  Pope  had  otherwise  ordered, 
and  the  office  was  conferred  upon  another  Bishop,  who 
was  a  native  of  Salmas,  in  Persia,  and  had  never  been  con- 
nected with  the  Church  of  Mar  Elias  until  he  was  elevated 
to  its  Patriarchate.  He  was  one  of  the  few  seceders  from 
the  Church  of  Mar  Shimon,  and  had  been  educated  at 
Rome,  under  the  eye  of  the  Propaganda.  Immediately 
upon  the  death  of  the  Patriarch  he  was  declared  his  suc- 
cessor by  virtue  of  an  order  from  the  Pope,  and  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  the  office.  He  is  now  the  only  acting 

1  Some  English  writers  speak  of  the  Church  of  Mar  Shimon  as  Chal- 
dean, and  that  of  Mar  Elias  as  Papal  Chaldean.     I  do  not  dispute  the 
justness  of  the  distinction,  but  prefer  to  use  the  terms  common  in  the  coun- 
try, and  call  the  former  Nestorian,  and  the  latter  Chaldean.' 

2  Both  in  the  Nestorian  and  the  Chaldean  Church,  the  Patriarchate 
has  been  for  ages  hereditary,  descending  from  uncle  to  nephew,  the  Pa- 
triarch himself  being  confined  to  a  state  of  celibacy. 

7* 


# 


142  VISIT    TO    THK 

Patriarch,  although  the  regular  successor,  Bishop  Elias,  has 
never  ceased  to  claim  the  dignity.  Another  act  of  unjusti- 
fiable interference  on  the  part  of  the  Pope  has  been  the 
change  of  the  official  title  of  the  Patriarch.  Until  now  the 
name  of  Elias  has  descended  from  age  to  age,  the  hon- 
ored appellation  of  each  succeeding  Patriarch.  It  is  now 
removed,  and  the  present  incumbent  is  dignified  with  the 
title  of  Mar  Nicolas. 

These  several  acts  of  unwarranted  usurpation  (for  less 
they  cannot  be  called),  are  as  contrary  to  the  relations  which 
the  late  Patriarch  had  wished  to  maintain  with  the  Pope  as 
they  are  to  ancient  canons.  He  was  induced  to  the  alle- 
giance by  violence.  His  firman  of  investiture  was  taken 
away  from  him  secretly,  and  withheld  until  he  would  sub- 
mit. He  was  alternately  threatened  and  promised.  At  a 
later  date  he  was  imprisoned  and  his  life  put  in  jeopardy  by 
the  intrigues  of  his  enemies ;  and  finally,  in  his  old  age  he 
was  conveyed  from  his  see  to  Bagdad,  and  kept  in  the 
house  of  the  Vicar  Apostolic,  that  he  might  there  end  his 
days,  and  the  change  in  the  succession  be  more  easily  ac- 
complished. And  yet  the  Patriarch  never  acknowledged 
the  Pope  as  anything  more  than  the  first  Bishop  in  Chris- 
tendom, and  never  conceded  to  him  the  right  to  interfere 
in  the  internal  jurisdiction  of  his  Church.  Had  he  done  so, 
it  could  not  have  been  valid  against  the  authority  of  ecu- 
menical Canons  acknowledged  by  both  parties,  and  without 
the  consent  of  the  other  Bishops  of  the  Nestorian  Church, 
which  to  this  day  has  never  been  obtained.  On  the  whole, 
the  history  of  this  secession  forms  one  of  the  darkest  pages 
in  the  great  drama  of  papal  usurpations,  and  shows  but  too 
clearly  that  the  ancient  spirit  of  Rome  can  still  manifest 
itself  where  there  is  nothing  to  check  its  natural  and  appro- 
priate development. 

The  acting  Patriarch,  Mar  Nicolas,  was  absent  from 
Mossoul,  on  a  visit  to  his  own  country,  so  that  I  had  no  op- 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  143 

portunity  to  judge  of  him  from  personal  acquaintance.  By 
some  of  the  native  Christians,  he  was  represented  as  devoted 
to  pleasure ;  by  others,  as  concealing  under  this  guise  an 
active  and  intriguing  spirit.  He  had  lately  received  .£500 
from  the  Lyons  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith, 
and  some  were  ready  to  predict  that  the  money  would  never 
come  out  of  his  pocket  for  any  purposes  but  his  own  enjoy- 
ment. These  things  were  chiefly  said  by  Chaldeans,  and 
some  allowance  is  to  be  made  for  the  fact,  that  many  of 
them  were  offended  at  what  they  called  the  obtrusion  of  a 
foreigner  upon  them.  Great  differences  of  opinion  were 
prevailing  as  to  the  legality  of  the  act  and  the  right  of  the 
Pope  to  require  their  submission.  Some  were  ready  to 
sanction  any  thing  that  came  from  Rome;  others  acknow- 
ledged the  primacy  of  the  successor  of  St.  Peter,  but  pro- 
tested against  the  corruptions  of  the  Latin  Church  ;  while 
others  still  rejected  the  connection  altogether.  "  I  de- 
nounce him,"  cried  one  in  the  bitterness  of  his  zeal  against 
the  Pope ;  "  what  business  of  his  to  send  his  minions  to 
break  up  the  ancient  order  of  our  Church,  and  require  us 
to  bow  to  his  pleasure  ?  Who  gave  him  authority  or  do- 
minion over  us?  For  one,  I  will  none  of  him." 

Had  the  Church  of  Rome  been  truly  primitive  and  Catho- 
lic, there  might  have  been  nothing  in  this  change  that  we 
should  not  have  rejoiced  in.  It  were  truly  a  noble  design 
to  restore  the  Nestorian  Church  to  the  communion  from 
which  it  has  been  so  long  an  alien.  It  were  worthy  of 
Christian  men  to  seek  these  early  wanderers,  and,  by  gath- 
ering them  again  within  the  fold,  to  heal  the  first  abiding 
breach  in  the  ranks  of  the  Christian  army.  It  were  a  glo- 
rious deed,  the  brightest  triumph  in  the  course  of  ages. 
But  has  it  so  been  1  The  Roman  Church  began  with  no 
offer  of  Catholic  union,  but  with  tyranny  and  usurpation. 
Her  thought  was  not  to  extend  the  faith  or  obey  the  com- 
mand of  Christ,  but  to  aggrandize  the  Pope.  She  spoke 


144  VISIT    TO    THE 

not  first  of  the  council  of  Ephesus,  but  of  the  supremacy  of 
St.  Peter.  She  addressed  them  not  as  those  who  might 
prove  to  be  brethren,  but  got  possession  of  the  title-deeds 
of  their  Patriarch,  and  forced  him  to  submission  to  escape 
ruin.  Her  first  and  last  demand  was — Acknowledge  the 
Pope.  This  point  gained,  the  wedge  was  in.  Always  ad- 
vancing, never  retreating,  sometimes  by  promise  and  some- 
times by  threat,  she  has  succeeded  in  subjecting  the  Chal- 
dean Church  to  her  unlawful  sway. 

And  how  has  she  used  her  power?  Has  she  trained  the 
Chaldeans  in  the  primitive  faith?  Has  she  filled  them  with 
knowledge?  Has  she  made  them  upon  the  whole  a  more 
Catholic  and  purer  Church?  They  have  been  taught  to  re- 
ceive the  Third  Ecumenical  Council,  and  this  we  acknow- 
ledge in  itself  is  well.  But  even  this  teaching  has  beer 
confined  to  a  few,  who  give  to  it  no  very  intelligent  assent, 
while  the  mass  of  the  people  know  of  no  change  from  their 
former  position  except  that  they  now  acknowledge  the  Pope. 
Beyond  this,  the  Chaldean  Church  has  been  made  less 
Catholic  by  making  it  less  primitive.  The  effort  has  been 
to  introduce  corruptions  unknown  before.  The  use  of  holy 
water  and  the  rosary,  and  a  multitude  of  other  ceremonies, 
what  effect  could  they  have  but  to  turn  away  the  minds  of 
the  Chaldeans  from  the  great  truths  of  Christianity  in  which 
they  were  already  but  too  imperfectly  instructed,  and  render 
them  satisfied  with  an  unspiritual  and  pharisaical  service? 
There  have  been  introduced  among  them  vain  and  idle 
superstitions,  whose  only  result  has  been  to  debase  the  pu- 
rity and  simplicity  of  their  worship.  They  have  been  taught 
to  pay  adoration  to  pictures  and  images,  and  to  convert  their 
ancient  reverence  for  the  Saints  into  the  idolatrous  worship 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  The  following  is  only  a  specimen  of 
the  means  resorted  to,  to  degrade  their  religion  and  assimi- 
late them  to  the  Church  of  Rome.  For  several  years  past, 
there  have  been  brought  to  Mossoul,  pictures  of  the  Virgin, 


SYRIAN    C11UKUH.  145 

printed  on  calico,  and  intended  to  be  hung  about  the  neck. 
Those  who  wear  them  are  taught,  that  the  man  dying  with 
one  of  them  upon  him  will  be  rescued  from  Purgatory,  and 
conveyed  to  Paradise  on  the  following  Saturday,  and  if  he 
dies  on  Saturday  he  will  go  immediately  to  Heaven.  There 
are  intelligent  Roman  Catholics  even  who  know  such  things 
as  these  to  be  wicked  superstitions,  and  who  will  lament  as 
well  as  we  that  they  should  be  introduced  among  a  simple 
and  credulous  people,  to  degrade  their  religion  and  endan- 
ger their  souls;1  for  what  could  be  a  more  effectual  patron- 
age of  sin,  than  to  teach  that,  whatever  may  have  been  the 
character  of  the  life,  the  wearing  of  this  boasted  charm  will 
save  the  soul  1 

It  is  implied  in  what  I  have  just  said,  that  the  doctrine 
of  Purgatory  is  taught, — a  doctrine  formerly  unknown  to 
the  Chaldeans,  destitute  of  all  title  to  Catholicity,  [and 
among  uninstructed  men,  like  the  Chaldeans,  destructive  to 
the  self-denying  duties  of  religion.  It  is  unnecessary  to 
enlarge  the  list.  The  Chaldeans,  as  a  body,  are  as  igno- 
rant of  the  Catholic  verities,  as  destitute  of  an  educated 
clergy,  and  of  sound  religious  instruction,  as  they  were 
before  their  union  with  Rome,  while  their  worship  has  lost 
its  former  purity,  and  their  minds  are  degraded  by  idle 
superstitions.  Over  these  things  we  mourn.  We  grieve  to 
see  a  Christian  Church  thus  acting  towards  a  wandering 
sister,  and  we  wait  with  patience  and  hope  for  the  day  when 
some  other  more  faithful  member  of  Christ's  body  shall  seek 
a  restoration  of  unity  in  the  spirit  of  primitive  times. 


1  A  Roman  Catholic  gentleman,  with  whom  I  fell  in  company  in  my 
travels,  said  to  me  one  day, "  I  am  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  but 
I  must  say  that  I  am  grieved  to  see  the  means  resorted  to  by  our  priests 
to  extend  the  sway  of  our  Church  in  these  countries."  He  was  alluding 
to  such  means  as  these.  I  must  add  that  the  pictures  were  sent  from 
Rome. 


146  VISIT    TO    THE 

NOTE. — In  what  I  have  said  in  this  chapter,  I  do  not 
wish  to  be  understood  as  expressing  a  final  judgment  upon 
the  question  whether  the  Nestorian  Church  of  the  present 
day  is  guilty  of  heresy.  All  the  evidence  which  I  have  re- 
ceived goes  to  show  that  it  is  not,  but  I  will  not  pretend  to 
form  a  judgment  on  so  important  a  point  without  maturer 
investigation.  One  thing,  however,  seems  clear,  which  is, 
that  they  ought  not  to  be  received  to  communion  while  the 
matter  remains  doubtful.  Neither  are  they  to  be  denounced 
as  heretics.  The  subject  demands  inquiry,  and,  if  it  can 
be  attained,  an  authoritative  decision.  The  ^argument  of 
Palmer1  appears  insufficient.  It  is  a  begging  of  the  ques- 
tion to  say  that  they  have  "  never  forsaken  their  errors." 
The  very  question  is,  whether  they  hold  the  errors  imputed 
to  them.  If  they  "  have  never  been  restored  to  the  com- 
munion of  the  Catholic  Church,"  it  may  be  that  they  seek 
a  restoration.  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  they  do.  If 
they  have  "  never  acknowledged  the  errors  of  their  found- 
ers," and  "  anathematize  the  synods  of  Ephesus  and  Chal- 
cedon,"  it  may  be,  as  Nestorians  have  often  declared  to  me, 
that  they  do  not  believe  that  Nestorius  and  his  coadjutors 
held  the  error  imputed  to  them,  and  that,  therefore,  the 
j jdgment  of  the  Council  against  them  was  unjust  and  ir- 
regular. Supposing  them  to  be  wrong  in  all  this,  it  proves 
them  to  be  in  "  error  of  fact,"  but  not  in  "  heresy."2 

1  Treatise  on  the  Church  of  Christ,  Part  I.  Chap.  XIV. 

2  Ib.  Part  I.  Chap.  V.  Sec.  III. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  14? 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

The  Tomb  of  Daniel. — The  Population  of  Mossoul. — Syrian  Villages 
near  Mossoul. — Localities  of  the  Syrian  Population. — Reflections  on 
my  work. — Opposition  of  Papists. — Their  Treatment  of  us. — Need  of 
a  distinctive  Presentation  of  the  Church. — Departure  from  Mossoul. — 
Self-Denial  in  the  Missionary  Work.— The  Pasha  of  Mossoul. — His 
Expedition  against  the  Arabs. — Preparation  for  the  Journey. — The 
Plain  of  Nineveh. — The  Tomb  of  the  Prophet. — The  Fast  of  Nineveh 
in  the  Nestorian  and  Chaldean  Churches. — Telkef. — Monasteries  of 
Raban  Hormisd  and  St.  Matthew. — El  Kosh,  Birthplace  of  Nahum,the 
Prophet. — Comparison  of  Christians  and  Mohammedans. — Yezidees. — 
Arab  Village. — Arrival  at  Zakho. 

FROM  the  Christians  let  us  turn,  for  a  moment,  to  the 
Mohammedans.  Just  before  my  arrival  in  the  city,  a  great 
stir  had  been  excited  by  the  supposed  discovery  of  the  grave 
of  the  Prophet  Daniel.  A  Mussulman,  in  his  dream,  had 
been  informed  by  an  apparition,  that  there  was  a  prophet 
lying  buried  in  the  midst  of  the  city,  whose  spirit  was  un- 
easy at  the  dishonor  done  to  his  tomb.  The  sleeper  in- 
quired the  place  of  his  burial,  and  was  conducted  by  the 
ghost  to  an  open  square  in  the  city,  where  the  people  were 
accustomed  to  throw  their  rubbish.  Here  the  spot  was 
pointed  out,  and  the  apparition  vanished.  The  next  day 
the  Mussulman  published  his  dream,  the  people  collected  at 
the  spot,  and  on  digging,  came  to  something  like  a  coffin. 
Information  was  given  to  the  Pasha,  and  he  was  requested 
to  send  to  Constantinople  and  obtain  a  firman  for  building 


148  VISIT    TO    THK 

a  tomb  over  the  remains  of  the  prophet.  He  replied  that 
he  thought  the  evidence  insufficient,  and  required  that  they 
should  first  open  the  coffin,  and  see  whether  there  were, 
indeed,  the  remains  of  a  man  within.  The  coffin  accord- 
ingly was  opened,  and  they  found  nothing.  In  the  mean- 
time, many  others  began  to  dream  about  the  matter,  and 
he  who  first  had  the  honor  of  a  revelation  on  the  subject 
dreamed  again,  and  saw  the  prophet  standing  before  him, 
who  informed  him  that,  on  account  of  the  unbelief  of  the 
Pasha,  he  had  conveyed  himself  away  from  this  wicked  city, 
and  would  not  return.  The  search  was  then  given  up. 
The  tornb  was  believed  to  be  Daniel's,  on  the  strength  of 
three  or  four  letters,  which  together  made  his  name.  One 
who  saw  them,  told  me  that  they  were  in  the  Hebrew  char- 
acter, but  were  not  in  juxtaposition,  being  evidently  a  part 
of  an  inscription  which  had  been  obliterated  by  time.  The 
Christians  were,  at  first,  jealous  of  this  Mussulman  honor  to 
an  Old  Testament  saint ;  but  some  among  them  had  heard 
that  the  prophet  Daniel  was  buried  at  Susa,  and  that  his 
tomb  is  seen  there  to  this  day.  So  they  laughed  in  their 
sleeve,  at  the  Mussulmans,  and  let  them  go  on  hunting  for 
their  prophet. 

But  let  us  return  to  the  Christians.  The  Syrian  popula- 
tion of  Mossoul  and  its  district  is  not  large.  There  may 
be  in  the  city  4000,  of  whom  at  least  1500  are  Papal  Syr- 
ians. There  are  also  about  2000  Chaldeans,  making  in  all 
a  Christian  population  of  about  6000.  The  Mussulmans 
probably  exceed  12,000,  and  the  whole  population,  includ- 
ing Jews  and  a  few  others,  may  be  reckoned  at  20,000 — a 
great  reduction,  indeed,  from  the  immense  population,  some 
120,000,  which  was  once  crowded  within  its  walls.  Fa- 
mine, the  plague,  and  oppression,  have  destroyed  or  scat- 
tered thousands.  The  Syrian  villages  of  Mossoul  are,  1, 
Karagosh,  containing  ten  Syrian  and  one  hundred  Papal 


SYRIAN    CliUUCH.  149 

Syrian  families,  besides  the  monastery  of  Mar  Behnam, 
now  deserted,  and  nine  Churches,  one  a  ruin,  and  the  other 
eight  divided  equally  between  the  Syrians  and  the  Syrian 
Papists  ;  2,  Batoli,  formerly  a  Bishop's  see,  now  contain- 
ing a  hundred  and  seventy  Syrian  and  thirty  Syrian  Papal 
families  and  two  Churches,  of  which  each  party  holds  one  ; 
3,  the  villages  of  Bahshika  and  Bahzan,  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountain  on  which  the  monastery  of  St.  Matthew  stands  ; 
they  contain  together  sixty  or  seventy  families,  all  Syrian, 
excepting  one,  a  Syrian  Papal  Priest  who  had  lately  been 
sent  thither  as  a  missionary,  by  the  French  consular  agent 
at  Mossoul ;  4,  Kop,  a  small  village  on  the  other  side  of  the 
mountain,  containing  thirty  families,  all  Syrian.  These  are 
all  the  Syrians  in  the  district  of  Mossoul,  of  whom  I  could 
learn.  To  the  South  there  are  none,  excepting  a  few  at  Bag- 
dad, who  have  removed  thither  from  other  places.  My  old 
host,  Mutrari  Isai,the  Syrian  Papal  Bishop  of  Mossoul,  was 
now  absent  in  Bagdad,  having  gone  thither,  as  was  report- 
ed, to  build  a  Church  for  his  sect.  There  are  probably  no 
more  than  four  or  five  Syrian  families  in  that  city.  The  mass 
of  their  population  is  to  be  sought  for  to  the  West  of  Mossoul, 
in  the  mountains  of  Tour  and  Kurdistan,  and  to  the  South, 
in  the  districts  of  Aleppo  and  Damascus. 

On  Sunday,  June  20th,  I  read  morning  prayers  at  the 
Consulate,  and  administered  the  Sacrament  of  Holy  Com- 
munion to  the  family.  The  objects  of  my  visit  were  now 
accomplished,  and  I  prepared  to  leave  on  the  22d.  The 
day  before,  I  had  made  the  following  record  in  my  journal. 
"  The  weak  has  now  closed,  and  my  work  at  Mossoul  is 
nearly  completed.  The  few  days  of  my  sojourn  here  have 
been  the  most  interesting  of  my  life.  Great  events  have 
transpired,  of  which  the  issue  is  still  in  the  hand  of  God. 
That  issue,  I  doubt  not,  will  be  for  his  glory,  whatever  may 
be  the  designs  of  men.  For  the  humble  part  which  I  have 
been  permitted  to  bear,  I  offer  my  fervent  thanksgivings. 


150  V1SJT    TO    THE 

For  the  wisdom  which,  I  trust,  has  guided  me,  for  the  faith 
which  has  sustained  me,  and  for  the  success  which  has 
crowned  my  labors,  I  render  all  the  praise  to  Him  from 
whom  I  have  received  all.  In  his  strength  I  will  still  pur- 
sue my  way.  Without  counsel,  I  will  look  to  Him  for 
guidance.  Deprived  of  human  companionship,  my  fellow- 
ship shall  be  with  the  Father  and  with  the  Son.  Called 
through  paths  of  danger,  I  will  walk  under  the  shadow  of 
the  Almighty.  Oppressed  by  noontide  heats,  I  will  comfort 
myself  in  His  love  who  is  10  me  as  the  shadow  of  a  great 
rock  in  a  weary  land.  Thus,  divine  grace  assisting  me,  I 
will  go  through  this  work.  Hope  tells  me  that  I  shall  be 
spared  to  finish  it,  and  Faith  assures  me  that  its  issue  will 
be  unspeakably  glorious  for  the  Church  of  the  living  God." 
I  should  have  been  glad  to  have  added  that  the  work 
had  been  without  opposition,  but  in  truth  my  Syrian  Papal 
friends  did  all  in  their  power  to  injure  it.  Most  of  their 
priests  called  upon  me,  but  it  seemed  to  be  with  no  good 
intention,  for  they  went  away  and  fabricated  all  manner  of 
evil  reports  against  me.  One  testified  that  he  saw  me 
recording  the  names  of  all  the  Syrians  in  the  city,  and  was 
present  when  the  principal  Syrian  ecclesiastic  put  his  seal  to 
a  paper  delivering  over  the  whole  Syrian  Church  to  the  Eng- 
lish. Prodigious  excitement  prevailed.  The  falsehood  just 
mentioned  and  some  other  idle  reports  were  put  together 
in  a  letter  and  sent  to  the  French  Consul  at  Bagdad,  to  be 
by  him  despatched  to  the  French  Ambassador  at  Constanti- 
nople. The  principal  actor  in  the  business  was  a  papal 
Syrian,  the  Mossoul  agent  of  the  Consul  aforesaid.  He 
was  sent  for,  and  made  to  understand  so  clearly  the  foolish 
nature  of  the  reports  with  which  he  had  filled  his  despatches, 
that  he  became  exceedingly  ashamed  and  alarmed  at  his 
own  credulity,  and  promised  to  send  off  another  letter  to 
contradict  the  former.  Whether  he  did  so  or  not  is  a  mat- 
ter of  little  importance  to  any  body  but  himself,  as  he  is  the 


SYRIAN    CI1UKCU.  151 

only  one  likely  to  suffer  from  his  own  folly.  It  might  be 
amusing  to  others  to  see  a  whole  train  of  diplomatic  agents 
set  on  fire  by  an  idle  story,  but  it  could  hardly  be  agreeable 
to  himself  to  have  it  discovered  that  he  had,  through  over- 
haste  and  youthful  zeal,  led  his  employers  into  a  race  for  a 
jack-o'lantern.  He  and  his  advisers  might  have  ventured 
to  reflect  that  it  was  possible  for  a  man  to  be  doing  good  to 
others  without  doing  injury  to  them,  and  that  it  was  possible 
for  good  to  be  done  from  higher  than  political  and  worldly 
ends.  And,  on  the  other  hand,  those  who  protect  them 
must  not  be  surprised  if  they  are  sometimes  frightened  by 
the  bugbear  which  their  own  emissaries  have  created.  I 
refer  to  the  Latin  priests,  who  seem  to  think  that  their  de- 
signs among  the  Eastern  Christians  cannot  be  accomplished 
without  traducing  the  English1  Church  and  nation.  My 
meaning  will  be  made  clear  as  we  advance.  I  will  only 
add  here,  that  most  of  the  stories  which  are  so  diligently 
circulated  by  Papal  missionaries,  would  have  no  tendency 
to  injure  us  if  our  ecclesiastical  character  were  better 
known.  But  when  the  Eastern  Christians  are  suffered  to 
believe  that  the  "  English,"  in  the  comprehensive  sense  in 
which  I  have  just  used  the  word,  are,  as  a  body  and  alto- 
gether, destitute  of  the  Episcopacy,  reject  Infant  Baptism, 
&/c.,  we  must  expect  to  suffer  in  the  estimation  of  the  Ori- 
ental Communions.  They  regard  these  things  as  essential 
parts  in  the  fabric  of  Christianity.  For  us,  therefore,  the 
first  condition  of  usefulness,  under  God,  is  to  make  our- 
selves known  in  our  true  and  distinctive  character. 

I  cannot  leave  Mossoul,  without  expressing  my  obliga- 
tion to  the  excellent  Consul  and  his  lady,  for  the  kindness 
which  made  my  brief  sojourn  a  season  of  delightful  repose 


1  I  have  here  and  elsewhere  in  the  course  of  my  narrative,  used  the 
term  "  English"  as  it  is  commonly  used  in  the  interior  of  Turkey — to  wit, 
as  including  both  English  and  Americans  without  distinction. 


152  VISIT    TO    THE 

from  the  toil  and  fatigue  of  my  journey.  The  comfort  and 
sweet  charities  of  a  Christian  home,  after  so  many  weeks 
of  lonely  wandering  and  consorting  with  rude  men,  were 
like  water  in  the  desert  to  the  thirsty  traveller,  refreshing  at 
the  moment,  and  ever  after  fondly  remembered.  It  is  when 
deprived  of  our  blessings,  that  we  best  estimate  them,  and 
it  is  when  they  come  again  after  an  absence,  that  we  most 
enjoy  them.  I  have  found,  however,  that  pleasant  as  are 
the  good  things  of  earth,  and  grateful  as  is  the  possession  of 
them  when  Providence  places  them  in  our  way,  they  are  by 
no  means  necessary  to  happiness.  On  the  contrary,  the 
most  calm  and  quiet  enjoyment  of  life  on  which  I  can  look 
back,  has  been  when  most  completely  divested  of  them. 
Those  hours  return  most  gratefully  to  the  memory,  as  hav- 
ing been  the  most  pure  in  their  sources  of  pleasure ;  the 
most  peaceful;  the  most  chastened,  subdued,  and  simple  in 
their  faith  and  hope.  Alone  with  God ;  human  dependence 
forsaken ;  all  persons  and  things  valued  on  earth,  out  of 
sight;  thrown  upon  the  consolations  of  duty;  feeling  the 
nearer  presence  of  heavenly  things,  more  realized,  more 
esteemed  as  they  come  in  to  fill  the  void  that  earth  has  left  ; 
all  this  is  the  foundation  of  a  peace  to  which,  in  after  life, 
the  mind  recurs  as  the  most  wise,  the  most  satisfying,  and 
the  most  profitable  of  the  experiences  of  life.  Would  that 
we  who  serve  Christ  and  the  Church,  might  so  learn  this 
that  we  should  not  shrink  from  a  higher  style  of  duty  than 
the  world  pursues,  but  be  truly  more  primitive  in  the  self- 
sacrificing  nature  of  our  obedience.  Then  might  we  hope 
for  conquests  also  primitive,  whether  among  the  heathen, 
or  in  the  promotion  of  knowledge,  piety,  and  unity  among 
the  dissevered  members  of  the  body  of  Christ,  or  in  the 
gathering  and  saving  of  the  scattered  sheep  of  our  own 
folds.  Our  reward,  though  small,  is  equal  to  our  labor. 
The  more  we  carry  of  our  ease  and  comfort  into  the  battle- 
field, the  more  effeminate  will  be  our  efforts,  the  more  meagre 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  [53 

our  victories.  The  cross,  and  nothing  but  the  cross  on 
earth,  the  crown,  and  nothing  but  the  crown  in  prospect — 
would  that  there  were  some  of  us  who  would  enter  the  strife 
with  such  watchwords  as  these ;  free  from  every  thing  that 
would  trammel  them  in  God's  service ;  prepared  by  holy 
discipline  and  freedom  from  earthly  care,  for  posts  of  dan- 
ger and  toil ;  with  nothing  left  to  sacrifice  but  their  own 
bodies,  and  these  presented  "  a  living  sacrifice,  holy,  accep- 
table to  God.1  " 

By  friends  at  Mossoul  I  was  well  supplied  with  letters 
for  Governors  and  ecclesiastics  on  the  route,  as  well  as  to 
the  Patriarch  at  Mardin.  The  Pasha  was  then  absent  on  an 
expedition  of  which  no  one  knew  the  object.  He  had  been 
heard  from,  marching  towards  the  Euphrates,  and  there  was 
a  vague  report  abroad,  that  he  was  going  against  the  Pasha 
of  Damascus.  The  whole  design  appeared  afterwards  to  be, 
to  punish  some  of  the  refractory  Arabs  of  the  desert,  an  ex- 
pedition in  which,  at  this  season,  he  was  likely  to  lose  more 
men  of  his  own,  than  to  kill  of  the  fast-flying  denizens  of 
the  desert.  It  shows,  however,  the  bold  and  energetic  char- 
acter of  the  man.  His  Divan  Effendisi  (Chancellor)  was 
ruling  in  his  absence,  and  from  him  I  received  a  letter  to 
the  Governor  of  Zakho,  the  last  town  in  the  pashalic  of 
Mossoul,  North  of  the  river,  directing  him  to  show  me 
every  needed  attention,  and  to  forward  me  on  my  way  to  Je- 
zireh.  He  also  appointed  a  Mehmandar  (Hospitaller)  to 
accompany  me  as  far  as  Zakho. 

Every  thing  being  ready,  I  took  leave  of  my  friends  at 
the  Consulate  and  several  of  the  clergy  who  had  come  to 
bid  me  farewell,  and  rode  out  of  the  city  late  in  the  after- 
noon. We  crossed  the  ruined  bridge  to  the  East,  and  then 
pursued  our  way  over  the  plain  of  Nineveh,  and  afterwards 
over  a  low,  uneven  country,  to  the  village  of  Batana,  four 

1  Rom.  xii.  1. 


154  VISIT    TO    THE 

hours  from  Mossoul.  The  whole  plain  of  Nineveh,  which 
is  about  four  miles  long  and  a  mile  broad,  seems  hardly 
large  enough  to  have  been  the  site  of  that  great  city  in 
which  there  were  "  more  than  120,000  persons  who  could 
not  discern  between  their  right  hand  and  their  left,"1  which 
was  "  an  exceeding  great  city  of  three  days'  journey,"2  un- 
less we  suppose  it  to  have  extended  over  the  hills  to  the  East 
and  North.  Some  of  my  Syrian  friends,  to  whom  I  pro- 
posed the  difficulty,  suggested  that  the  three  days'  journey 
might  mean  that  it  required  so  much  time  to  go  through 
every  part  of  the  city,  and  that  Jonah's  "  entering  into  the 
city  a  day's  journey,"3  meant  that  he  travelled  about  in  its 
streets  a  whole  day,  proclaiming  the  awful  message  intrusted 
to  him.4  The  plain  is  now  waste  and  desolate,  according  to 
the  prediction  of  Zephaniah:  "  He  will  make  Nineveh  a 
desolation,  and  dry  like  a  wilderness.  .  .  .  How  is  she  be- 
come a  desolation,  a  place  for  beasts  to  lie  down  in."  (Zeph. 
iii.  13,  15.)  Excepting  a  few  fields  of  grain  near  the  river, 
it  seemed  to  be  entirely  barren,  and  the  only  signs  of  life 

1  Jonah  iv.  13. 

2  Ibid.  iii.  3.  "  Whose  merchants  were  multiplied  above  the  stars  of 
heaven,  and  whose  crowned  ones  were  as  the  locusts."     Nah.  iii.  16, 17. 

3  Jonah  iii.  4. 

4  This  explanation   may  have  been    taken   from    their  own    Mar 
Ephrem,  who  says  (Commen.  in  Jon.  in  Zoe.)  that  the  three  days' journey 
is  not  to  be  understood  of  the  circumference  of  the  city,  but  of  the  time 
necessary  for  the  preaching  of  Jonah  to  pervade  it.     If  applied,  however, 
to  the  circumference,  the  account  agrees  very  well  with  that  of  Diodorus 
Siculus  (1.  II.)  who  describes   it    to  be  480  stadia,  or  nearly  60  miles, 
which  is  three  days'  journey  for  a  caravan,  the  common  mode  of  com- 
puting distance  in  the  East.     Gibbon,  therefore,  might  have   spared  his 
sneer  at  the  scriptural  account.     (Decline  and  Fall,  Chap.  46.)     The 
only  difficulty  is  in  finding  a  place  for  so  large  a  city  in  the  plain  opposite 
Mossoul.     The  difficulty,  however,  is  removed  by  supposing  the  city  to 
have  extended  to  both  banks  of  the  river,  like  Bagdad,  and  this  will  also 
reconcile  the  account  of  those  ancient  writers  (chiefly  Mussulman)  who 
describe  Nineveh  as  standing  on  the  right  hank.     See  also  Nahum  ii.  8. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  155 

were  five  or  six  miserable  looking  peasants  who  were  reaping 
the  grain.  On  a  mound  near  the  centre  of  the  plain  stands 
the  tomb  of  the  Prophet  Jonah,  and  around  it  is  gathered  a 
little  hamlet,  called  also  from  his  name,  Nebbi  Yonan. l  How 
little  could  the  proud  inhabitants  of  the  great  city  have 
dreamed  that  the  only  relics  of  their  glory  should  one  day 
be  a  few  scattered  fragments  of  buildings  covered  by  the 
soil,  that  the  only  monument  to  mark  its  site  should  be  the 
tomb  of  the  prophet  who  denounced  its  woes,  and  its  only 
population  a  few  poor  families  gathered  about  his  burial 
place.  The  tomb  is  in  the  hands  of  the  Mussulmans,  by 
whom  the  prophet  is  greatly  revered.  They  say  of  him  that 
he  remained  forty  days  in  the  belly  of  a  fish,  and  that  this 
occurred  after  he  had  left  Nineveh,  whence  he  fled  in  shame 
and  confusion,  on  account  of  the  non-fulfilment  of  his  pro- 
phecy.2 

The  city  was  destroyed  600  years  before  Christ,  and  of 
course  has  no  place  in  the  records  of  the  Church,  excepting 
to  give  its  name  to  a  Metropolitan  and  an  Episcopal  see  of 
the  Chaldeans.  This  was  also  removed  about  A.  D.  820, 
and  the  see  was  united  to  that  of  Adiabene,  or  Assyria,  by 
the  Catholicos,  Joshua  Bar  Nun.3  There  is  still  a  fast  ob- 
served both  in  the  Nestorian  and  the  Syrian  Churches, 
which  is  called  the  Fast  of  Nineveh,  and  which  is  supposed 
by  the  people,  and  even  by  the  ecclesiastics,  to  be  commemo- 
rative of  the  great  fast  of  their  ancestors,  at  the  time  when 
Nineveh  was  to  be  overthrown.  But  according  to  Asseman,4 
it  was  first  instituted  by  Sabarjesus,  Catholicos  of  Seleucia, 
at  the  close  of  the  6th  century,  and  the  original  object  of  it 

1  Prophet  Jonah. 

2  The  prayer  of  the  prophet,  which  they  report  him   to  have  made 
while  in  the  fish's  belly,  is  given  in  the   Koran,  and  is  esteemed  by  the 
Mussulman  Doctors  as  possessing  peculiar  sanctity  and  efficacy. 

3  Ass.  Bib.  Or.  III.  344. 

4  Ibid.  II.  413,  426 


156  VISIT    TO    THE 

was  to  invoke  God  for  the  cessation  of  the  plague,  which 
was  then  ravaging  the  land.  It  was  afterwards  ordained  to 
be  perpetually  observed,  and  the  name  of  Nineveh  was  given 
to  it,  as  descriptive  both  of  the  occasion  on  which  it  was 
established  and  the  severity  with  which  it  was  to  be  kept. 
If  this  is  a  true  account  of  its  origin,  which  I  should  be  in- 
clined to  doubt  if  it  were  not  supported  by  respectable  tes- 
timony from  ancient  writers,  we  must  suppose  that  it  was 
adopted  by  the  Syrians  on  account  of  their  being  involved 
in  the  same  calamity,  and  that  they,  like  the  Nestorians, 
thought  it  worthy  of  being  perpetually  observed.  The  fast 
occurs  about  two  weeks  before  the  Great  Fast  of  Easter, 
and  continues  three  days,  during  which  time  some  of  the 
people,  and  still  more  of  the  clergy,  neither  eat  nor  drink. 

Three  hours  from  Mossoul  we  passed  Telkef,  a  large 
Chaldean  village,  containing  apparently  a  thousand  houses. 
Some  of  the  people  reported  that  it  formerly  held  3000  fam- 
ilies, but  it  is  now  partly  in  ruins.  Several  large  Churches 
were  visible,  more  conspicuous  in  size  and  position  than 
they  commonly  are  in  Turkey.  The  country  around,  as  it 
is  throughout  this  region,  was  destitute  of  trees,  and  the 
soil  dry  and  parched  from  the  summer  heat.  On  our  right 
was  the  mountain  of  Makloub,  with  the  monastery  of  St. 
Matthew  (now  uninhabited,  but  formerly  the  seat  of  the 
Syrian  Patriarchs,  and  still  nominally  the  residence  of  the 
Muphrians)  in  view.  In  front  of  us  rose  the  dark  range  of 
mountains,  on  which  stands  the  monastery  of  Raban  Hor- 
misd,1  the  patriarchal  seat  of  the  Chaldeans.  At  the  foot  of 
the  mountain  lies  Alkosh,  or  Elkosh,  the  birth-place  of  the 

1  Built  by  the  Monk  (Raban)  John  Hermes,  or  Hormisda,  a  native 
of  Persia,  about  A.  D.  630. — The  monastery  of  St.  Matthew  is  more  an- 
cient. In  629  certain  privileges  were  granted  to  it  by  Athanasius,  Pa- 
triarch of  Antioch.  Its  Metropolitan  was  allowed  to  have  the  first  place 
after  the  Muphrian,  whose  seat  was  in  the  same  year  established  at  Tek- 
rit..  on  th«  Tigris,  below  Mossoul.  A*8.  Eib  Or.  II.  419 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  157 

Prophet  Nahum,  whose  tomb  is  still  seen  there.  It  was  he 
who  predicted  the  downfall  of  Nineveh,  long  after  the 
preaching  of  Jonah,  and  one  hundred  years  before  its  de- 
struction, during  the  interval  between  the  overthrow  of  the 
monarchies  of  Israel  and  Judah.  We  can  imagine  what 
hope  and  comfort  his  predictions  must  have  given  to  the 
captive  tribes  of  Israel,  when  they  heard  the  words  of  his 
sublime  and  glowing  prophecy,  in  the  land  of  their  conquer- 
ors. Others,  however,  have  supposed  that  he  was  born  at 
Elkosh,  a  small  village  in  Galilee,  of  which  St.  Jerome  re- 
lates that  he  saw  the  ruins,  and  that  his  tomb  was  afterwards 
seen  at  Bethogabra,  a  village  near  Emmaus.  But  the  ac- 
count which  I  have  given,  appears  to  have  the  best  claims  to 
belief,  as  it  has  been  from  ancient  times,  and  is  still  the 
universal  tradition  of  both  Jews  and  Christians  in  the  land 
of  Assyria.  The  title  of  the  prophecy  is — "  The  burden  of 
Nineveh — The  book  of  the  vision  of  Nahum,  the  Elkoshite."1 
At  dark  we  reached  the  village  of  Batana.  The  people, 
who  were  Chaldeans,  received  me  kindly,  spread  a  bed  for 
me  on  the  roof  of  a  house,  and  provided  an  excellent  dinner. 
Half  of  the  houses  in  the  village  were  in  ruins  and  unin- 
habited. Their  .occupants  had  fled  to  seek  in  other  districts 
a  more  secure  and  quiet  home.  The  people  said  that  the 
cause  of  it  was  oppression,  and  complained  bitterly  of  the 
taxes  which  they  were  compelled  to  bear.  I  liked  the  ap- 
pearance of  these  Chaldeans  and  of  all  that  I  saw,  more 
than  of  most  other  Christians  in  Turkey.  They  seemed  to 
have  more  of  manliness  and  natural  intelligence  than  the 
peasantry  of  Asia  Minor,  which,  however,  I  attribute  not  so 
much  to  any  intellectual  or  moral  superiority  as  to  the  fact 
that,  until  within  the  last  ten  or  twelve  years,  the  peasantry 
of  Assyria  have  been  less  subject  to  tyranny  and  extortion. 
This,  I  believe,  is  every  where  the  cause  of  the  low  estate  of 

1  Nahum,  i.  1 
8 


158  VISIT    TO    THE 

Christianity  in  Turkey;  and  accordingly  it  will  be  found  that 
the  degradation  of  the  Christians  is  in  exact  proportion  to 
the  civil  oppressions  which  they  suffer.     Thus  the  Nestori- 
ans  of  Kurdistan,  who  have  hitherto  been  free,  are  superior 
in  point  of  character  to  the  Christians  of  European  Turkey, 
and  these  are  superior  to  the  Chaldeans,  who  in  their  turn 
are  superior  to  the  Christians  of  Asia  Minor  ;  and  the  de- 
grees of  oppression  which  these  different  bodies  have  suffered 
have  been  generally  in  the  same  proportion.     The  Nesto- 
riansofthe  Mountains  have  been  independent  of  all  foreign 
rule;  the  Christians  of  European  Turkey,   composing,  as 
they    do,   the    majority  of  the  population  in  that  country, 
have  always  been  able  to  maintain  a  position  nearly  equal 
to  that  of  their  Mohammedan  masters,  while  the  Chaldeans, 
though  more  oppressed  in  the  main,  have  been  in  a  far  better 
condition  (both  on  account  of  the  strength  of  their  popula- 
tion and  on  account  of  the  milder  prejudices  of  Mussulmans 
in  those  parts)  than  the  crushed  and  down-trodden  Chris- 
tians of  Asia  Minor.     If  things  continue  as  they  now  are, 
the  Chaldeans  will   become  as  completely  degraded   as  the 
latter,  and  the  Nestorians,  who  have  recently  come  under 
Mohammedan  sway,  will  gradually  lose  those  manly  qual- 
ities which  have  hitherto  distinguished  them.     In   order  to 
effect  a  just  comparison  of  the  relative  influences  of  Moham- 
medanism and  Christianity  upon  a  people,  the  two  should  be 
placed  in  a  state  of  civil  equality.     In  such  a  condition,  I, 
for  one,   would  cheerfully  stake  the  whole  character  of  our 
religion  upon  the  result.     But  as  things  now  are,  nothing 
can  be  more  unjust  than  the  hasty  judgments  of  some  of  our 
Western  travellers,~who  seeing  in  certain  parfs  that  Moham- 
medans are  really  superior  to  Christians  in  dignity  of  char- 
acter, in  hospitality,  and  other  social  virtues,  rashly  infer  that 
their  religion  is  as  beneficent   as  Christianity.     It  is  true, 
indeed,  that,  in  its  present  low  estate,  the  influences  of  our 
holy  religion  in  the  East  are  in  a  great  measure  lost  through 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  159 

want  of  instruction ;  but  even  this  is  owing  mainly  to  the  ty- 
rannical sway  of  Islam  ism,  which  at  once  degrades  the  mind 
and  cuts  off  the  means  of  improvement. 

June  23.  We  started  again  at  day  dawn.  My  guard 
consisted  of  only  four  men.  The  number  was  an  indica- 
tion of  the  strong-handed  government  which  rules  the  pro- 
vince of  Mossoul.  Were  the  same  government  more  atten- 
tive to  the  wants  of  the  people,  and  more  limited  in.  its 
exactions,  it  would  be  a  model  of  good  rule  for  such  a  coun- 
try, where  severity  is  necessary  to  curb  the  lawless  spirit  of 
the  people  and  secure  safety.  We  passed  Teleskof,  a  third 
and  large  Chaldean  village,  one  hour  from  Batana,  and  in 
two  hours  more  we  reached  Hatara,  a  village  of  the  Yezi- 
dees.  They  appeared  to  be  one  of  the  most  flourishing  com- 
munities that  I  had  seen  in  my  journey.  The  men  were 
stout  and  well-looking,  and  the  women  had  an  erect  and  open 
bearing,  and  a  free,  bold  gait,  which  struck  me  at  once  from 
its  contrast  with  the  Christians,  who  were  evidently  fright- 
ened at  the  appearance  of  men  from  the  Pasha,  and  whose 
women,  though,  like  the  Yezidee  females,  open-faced,  were 
less  comely,  and  more  timid  in  their  demeanor.  The  men 
of  Hatara  wore  dark-colored  turbans  of  striped  cloth,  and 
the  women  had  a  covering  upon  their  head,  which  came 
under  their  chin,  and  another  bound  round  the  forehead. 
They  treated  us  with  the  greatest  kindness,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  with  an  appearance  of  ease  and  cheerfulness  which  was 
the  more  pleasing,  because  uncommon.  The  men  sat  and 
talked  with  us,  while  the  women  busied  themselves  in  pre- 
paring for  us  a  nice  breakfast  of  bread  and  milk,  eggs  and 
yo-oort,  and  other  products  of  their  rural  toil,  for  which 
they  seemed  to  think  themselves  amply  repaid  by  a  taste  of 
my  Turkish  coffee.  I  did  not,  however,  depart  without 
remunerating  them  for  their  hospitality  with  something  more 
substantial,  which  they  received  with  many  expressions  of 
thanks  and  wishes  for  a  good  journey.  I  was  altogether 


160  VISIT    TO    THE 

well  pleased  with  my  interview  with  these  reputed  devil- 
worshippers.1  Their  houses  also  were  better  built  than 
those  in  the  villages  which  I  had  passed,  being  thatched  and 
more  regular  in  their  construction.  On  the  outskirts  of  the 
village  was  their  burying-ground,  in  which  I  noticed  two 
large  tombs  of  a  peculiar  form  and  appearance. 

Our  next  stage  was  to  Faidah,  two  and  a  half  hours  from 
Hatara.  Here  the  people  were  Arabs,  living  in  their  tents 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  village,  and  a  more  poor 
and  miserable  population  I  have  seldom  seen,  even  in  Tur- 
key. They  were  dirty,  their  tents  were  thronged  with  ver- 
min, and  their  children  were  running  about  in  the  hot  sun 
entirely  naked.  Nevertheless  they  treated  me  well,  and 
in  particular  showed  one  very  acceptable  specimen  of  good 
manners  in  not  intruding  upon  me  all  the  day,  by  which  I 
had  an  opportunity  to  sleep.  The  Tigris  was  visible  from 
the  tents,  about  one  hour  distant  to  the  Southwest,  and 
beyond  it  a  range  of  hills  running  parallel  with  its  course. 
We  had  arrived  before  9  A.  M.,  when  the  heat  was  not  yet 
intense,  but  towards  noon  it  increased,  and  a  sirocco  from 
the  Southeast  was  blowing  upon  us  all  the  day,  like  the 
hot  air  of  a  furnace. 

At  nine  o'clock,  Eastern  time,  that  is,  three  hours  before 
sunset,  we  mounted  again,  and  came  in  four  hours  to  Man- 
dan,  a  Kurdish  village,  where  the  people,  taking  us  to  be 
Pasha's  men,  were  at  first  disposed  to  give  us  a  sullen  re- 
ception. But  on  learning  that  I  was  a  Frank,  they  treated 
us  hospitably,  gave  us  a  good  supper  and  lodgings  till  mid- 
pight,  when  we  started  again  upon  our  last  stage  to  Zakho. 
My  Mehmandar,  Reshid  Agha,  had  left  us  at  Faidah,  and 
taken  two  of  ihe  men  with  him,  leaving  only  one,  who  told 
us  as  we  left  the  yijjage,  that  Reshid  and  his  two  compan- 


1  I  have  given  some  account  of  the  jreligion  of  the  Yezidees  in  my 
JNarrative  of  a  Tour,  &c.,  Vol.  II.  p.  317,     m.  Ed. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  161 

ions  would  follow  immediately.  But  when  we  reached 
Mandan,  we  were  informed  that  he  had  made  a  diversion  to 
collect  the  Pasha's  taxes,  and  would  overtake  us  at  Zakho. 
Fortunately  there  was  no  need  of  his  protection,  for  we 
made  our  way  unmolested  to  Zakho.  Four  hours  from 
Mandan,  and  just  as  day  was  dawning,  on  the  morning  of 
the  24th,  we  left  the  low  country  over  which  we  had  been 
travelling,  and  entered  a  mountain  range  where  we  toiled 
slowly  on  for  two  weary  hours,  and  then  descended  to 
another  plain  beyond,  where  Zakho  stands  on  an  island  in 
the  Khabour. 


162  VISIT    TO    THE 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

Zakho. — Its  District. — Taxes. — Evils  of  the  Farming  System. — Call  from 
the  Agha. — A  young  Syrian. — Bankers. — Presents. — Guard. — Provin- 
cial Quarrels. — Bridge  over  the  Khabour. — Fording  a  River  by  Night. 
— Chaldean  Village. — Reception  at  Night. — Sleeping  on  Roofs. — Ha- 
did. — Bitouna. — The  Province  of  Jezireh. — Its  Government  compared 
with  that  of  Mossoul. — Harvest. — Chaldean  and  Nestorian  Villages. — 
Town  of  Jezireh. — Reshid  Pasha  and  his  Wars. — Attack  on  Jezireh. — 
Crossing  the  Tigris  on  a  Raft. — A  Chaldean  Host  and  Hostess. — De- 
scription of  Jezireh. — Chaldean  Bishop. — Chaldean  and  Nestorian  Pop- 
ulation of  the  Province. — Nestorian  Bishop. — Syrian  Bishop. — Papal 
Proselytism. 

ZAKHO,  a  place  famous  in  the  later  history  of  these 
countries,  stands,  as  I  have  said,  upon  an  island  in  the 
Khabour.  The  entrance  is  by  a  narrow  bridge  at  the  head 
of  the  island,  which  is  the  only  means  of  communication 
with  the  town,  and  at  the  same  head  of  the  island  is  the  old 
citadel,  which  was  once  a  stronghold,  but  is  now  in  a  ruin- 
ous and  dilapidated  condition.  The  whole  town,  indeed,  is 
in  a  similar  state,  and  the  people  say  is  only  a  remnant  of 
what  it  once  was.  There  are  not  more  than  one  hun- 
dred families  in  the  place,  and  of  these  only  five  were  Sy- 
rian. A  part  of  the  remainder  were  Jews.  The  town, 
however,  is  the  head  of  a  district  which  is  said  to  contain 
three  hundred  villages,  but  many  of  these  are  heaps  of  ruins. 
The  Governor,  one  Ibrahim  Agha,  farms  the  district  for 
300,000  piastres,  (about  13,000  Spanish  dollars,  or  ,£2,775,) 
which  he  replaces  with  interest,  in  his  own  pocket,  by  such 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  163 

means  as  he  pleases.  This  is  the  curse  of  the  farming  sys- 
tem. The  district  of  Zakho,  with  a  nominal  tax  of  13,000 
dollars,  is  doubtless  paying  one  of  eighteen  or  twenty  thou- 
sand. The  town  and  the  whole  region  afford  a  sad  demon- 
stration of  the  evil  of  the  system,  which  is  gradually  reduc- 
ing the  productive  power  of  the  country,  diminishing  popu- 
lation, repressing  agriculture,  and  rendering  every  year  the 
burdens  more  onerous  to  the  people  as  they  come  to  be 
borne  (without  being  themselves  diminished)  by  a  con- 
stantly decreasing  population.  The  Pasha  will  expect  the 
Governor  to  give  as  much  this  year  as  he  did  last,  and  the 
Governor  is  compelled  to  press  each  year  harder  to  obtain 
the  amount  and  his  own  gains.  A  policy  more  surely  end- 
ing in  ruin  could  not  be  devised, 

Ibrahim  Agha  called  upon  me  at  my  lodgings,  which 
were,  as  to  their  ruinous  state,  a  miniature  of  his  own  at  the 
castle.  The  whole  front  of  the  room  in  which  I  sat  had 
fallen  down,  and  left  an  uninterrupted  view  of  a  cattle-yard 
without.  The  Agha  was  barefooted,  according  to  the  ap- 
proved fashion  of  summer-dress  in  this  country,  and  his 
shirt  and  drawers  had  no  pantaloons  over  them.  At  the 
same  time  his  head  was  bound  about  with  an  enormous 
turban,  fold  upon  fold  of  coarse  muslin.  He  sat  half  an 
hour,  while  I  endeavored  to  instruct  him  in  the  rudiments 
of  geography  from  a  large  map  which  I  had  before  me. 
But  he  could  get  no  idea  of  its  meaning,  and  was  totally 
confounded  at  seeing  Constantinople  only  three  feet  distant 
from  Mossoul.  He  could  not  discover  the  art  of  contract- 
ing towns  and  cities  into  points,  or  making  seas  and  rivers 
flow  on  paper.  He  evidently  thought  it  some  species  of 
magic,  and  looked  from  the  map  at  me  with  a  ludicrous  air 
of  bewilderment  and  suspicion. 

Another  of  my  visitors  was  a  very  gayly  dressed  Syrian, 
an  agent  of  the  Pasha's  banker  at  Mossoul.  He  was  here 
to  collect  his  master's  debts  out  of  the  revenues  of  the  prov- 


164  VISIT    TO    THE 

ince,  and  I  confess  his  handsome  dress  prepossessed  me 
against  him  when  I  thought  of  the  miserable  beings  from 
whom  the  means  of  luxury  came.  But  this  was  no  fault  of 
his,  excepting  as  he  was  the  instrument  of  collecting  the 
exactions  of  others.  The  bankers  prey  upon  the  Pashas, 
the  Pashas  prey  upon  the  rulers  of  districts,  and  these  last 
prey  upon  the  people. 

The  young  Syrian,  however,  was  profuse  in  his  atten- 
tions to  me.  He  had  already  heard  of  my  visit  to  the  city, 
and  gave  me  some  proof  of  it  by  telling  me  what  I  had  been 
doing.  He  had  heard  it  from  his  master,  the  banker,  who 
had  been  one  of  my  best  friends,  and  who,  notwithstanding 
the  nature  of  his  business,  was  kind-hearted,  intelligent,  and 
generous.  He  had  himself  been  supporting  two  respectable 
schools  among  the  Syrians,  and  had  entered  with  great 
readiness  into  all  my  plans  for  their  welfare.  He  was  an 
Armenian  from  Constantinople,  but  unfortunately  one  of 
those  whose  faith  has  become  unsettled  by  skeptical  views. 
He  used  to  say  to  me,  "  These  people  are  orphans.  No 
one  looks  after  them,  no  one  cares  for  them.  They  are 
reduced  by  oppression  and  impoverished  by  extortion.  Do 
them  good.  They  can  make  you  no  return ;  but  your  re- 
ward will  be  in  Heaven,  if  there  is  one"  With  much 
intelligence  and  shrewd  knowledge  of  the  world,  Agha  S. 
betrayed  a  singular  complication  of  motive.  He  seemed  to 
take  great  pleasure  in  doing  good,  while  he  was  a  doubter 
on  all  the  great  points  of  religion,  and  quite  denied  the 
overruling  providence  of  God.  He  had  no  very  favorable 
opinion  of  the  sincerity  of  men,  and  yet  he  was  befriending 
the  Syrians  with  much  zeal.  In  the  same  breath  he  would 
abuse  them  as  miserable  fellows,  and  propose  some  import- 
ant measure  for  their  welfare.  All  this  made  me  suspect 
that  he  was  acting  under  instructions,  as  he  was  the  agent 
of  an  eminent  banker  in  Constantinople,  whose  zeal  for 
education  had  led  him  to  establish  in  the  metropolis  a  semi- 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  165 

nary  of  a  high  order  for  the  benefit  of  Armenian  youth, 
which  he  was  supporting  entirely  from  his  private  purse. 
He  too  was  another  eminent  instance  of  an  honest,  upright, 
and  benevolent  banker,  but  he  has  since  fallen  under  the 
charge  of  fraud,  from  the  Pasha  of  Mossoul,  (who  probably 
took  this  way  of  settling  accounts  with  him,)  and  has  been 
banished  from  the  city.1 

The  young  Syrian  at  Zakho  did  all  in  his  power  to 
make  me  acquainted  with  the  town,  and  then  inquired  what 
further  he  could  do  for  me.  I  begged  him  to  procure  for 
me  horses  that  I  might  get  away  out  of  the  town,  for  every 
body  appeared  very  miserable  in  it,  and  it  was  only  with 
great  difficulty  that  I  could  obtain  a  single  article  of  food. 
The  danger  of  starvation  appeared  so  imminent  that  I  de- 
termined to  fly  from  Zakho,  and  seek  for  something  to  eat  in 
the  villages.  The  Syrian  hired  mules  for  me,  as  there  was 
no  post-house  in  the  place,  and  when  I.  departed  accompa- 
nied me  out  of  the  town  on  a  noble,  spirited  horse,  which, 
besides  himself,  was  the  only  well-looking  creature  that  I 
met  in  Zakho.  Upon  our  parting,  I  gave  my  Syrian  friend 
a  present,  in  acknowledgment  of  his  kindness.  He  re- 
ceived it  with  great  apparent  reluctance,  saying  that  he  was 
ready  to  serve  me  to  any  extent,  for  the  good  I  had  done  to 
his  people.  I  had  taken  care,  before  leaving,  to  send  a  small 
present  to  the  Agha  in  return  for  his  call,  by  the  hand  of  my 
servant.  The  custom  on  such  occasions  is  for  the  receiver 
to  reward  the  bearer ;  but  Basil  returned,  saying,  that  the 
Agha  looked  so  miserable  in  his  turnbling-down  castle  that 
he  would  not  receive  the  ten  piastres  which  he  proffered  to 
him.  Ibrahim  Agha  gave  me  a  guard  of  three  men  to  go 
as  far  as  a  river  two  hours  from  Zakho,  which  forms  the 
boundary  between  this  district  and  that  of  Jezireh.  On 


1  Since  this  was  written,  the  Pasha  has  died,  and  the  banker  has  re- 
turned to  Constantinople. 

8* 


166  VISIT    TO    THE 

account  of  a  misunderstanding  between  the  Bey  of  Jezireh 
and  the  Pasha  of  Mossoul,  the  Agha  gave  strict  injunctions 
that  his  men  should  not  enter  the  territory  of  the  former. 
And  yet  all  these  rulers  are  alike  subjects  of  the  Sultan, 
and  their  hostile  districts  are  different  provinces  of  his 
Empire. 

On  going  out  of  the  town  by  the  same  way  that  we  had 
entered,  we  were  compelled  to  go  up  along  the  Easterly 
bank  of  the  river  in  order  to  find  a  bridge  to  convey  us 
over  the  stream.  We  came  to  one  about  ten  minutes'  ride 
above  Zakho.  It  was  a  solid  and  handsome  stone  structure 
worthy  of  a  better  looking  town.  The  river  is  here  about  a 
hundred  or  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  wide.  After  passing 
the  bridge,  we  resumed  our  course  Westward,  adown  the 
right  bank  of  the  swift-rolling  stream.  In  two  hours  we 
reached  the  river  before  mentioned,  which  is  a  tributary  of 
the  Khabour.  Here  wfe  found  neither  bridge  nor  ferry 
boat.  The  guards  advised  me  to  wait  till  morning  at  a  vil- 
lage of  tents  close  by,  but  my  anxiety  to  proceed  made  me 
determine  to  attempt  the  ford.  Fortunately  it  was  not 
entirely  dark.  A  young  moon  descending  in  the  West  was 
shedding  its  feeble  light  over  the  stream.  The  chief  of  the 
village  and  two  stout  lads  accompanied  us  as  guides.  The 
latter  stripped  themselves  upon  the  bank  of  the  river.  One 
took  my  mule,  and  the  other  the  animal  which  carried  my 
luggage,  while  I  mounted  a  strong  horse  which  had  been 
brought  from  the  village.  Thus  prepared,  we  plunged  into 
the  river,  the  village  chief  leading  the  way.  The  stream  at 
this  point  was  deep  and  rapid  in  two  of  the  four  branches 
into  which  it  was  divided.  The  others  were  very  shallow. 
The  people  say  that  in  spring  time  it  is  impassable.  The 
horses  plunged  about  upon  the  rocky  bottom,  and  for  a  time 
it  seemed  doubtful  whether  some  of  the  weaker  animals 
would  be  able  to  stand  up  against  the  torrent.  The  quiet 
light  of  the  moon  and  the  perfect  silence  of  the  company 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  167 

struck  me  in  contrast  with  the  rush  and  bluster  of  the 
stream,  and  made  the  scene  for  a  moment  singularly  im- 
pressive. The  silver  light  twinkling  upon  the  fretting  wa- 
ter, seemed  to  be  wooing  it  to  calmness  and  peace.  So  do 
the  still  small  voice  and  the  gentle  influences  from  Heaven 
fall  upon  the  troubled  stream  of  human  life,  and  seek  to 
win  it  to  quietness  and  trust.  Would  that  we  might  heed 
them,  and  in  these  days  of  strife  and  opposition,  learn  in 
patience  to  possess  our  souls  ! 

We  crossed  the  river  in  safety,  and  having  taken  leave 
of  our  village  guides,  pursued  our  way  for  about  an  hour  to 
the  Chaldean  village  of  Tel  Kabin,  in  the  district  of  Jezi- 
reh.  The  men  from  Zakho  had  consented,  with  some  per- 
suasion and  demur,  to  accompany  me  hither,  rather  than 
leave  me  to  find  my  way  alone.  When  we  arrived,  the 
whole  village  was  drowned  in  sleep.  The  guard  shouted, 
and  instantly  every  roof  was  bristling  with  men,  and  a  hun- 
dred dogs  began  to  bark  furiously. 

A  strong  voice  demanded,  "  What  do  you  want  ?" 

"  Lodgings,"  cried  the  men  of  Zakho. 

"  We  have  none,"  was  the  stern  reply. 

"  There  is  a  Batyos1  with  us,"  answered  the  guard. 

In  an  instant  the  scene  changed.  The  word  passed 
from  mouth  to  mouth.  Several  shouted  a  hearty  welcome. 
Some  descended  from  the  roofs,  all  armed,  as  I  observed, 
with  guns.  Some  took  the  horses,  others  helped  me  to 
alight,  and  three  or  four  almost  took  me  upon  their  shoul- 
ders, and  carried  me  up  to  the  roof.  The  chief  spread  a 
carpet  and  seated  me  upon  it.  The  young  men  brought  up 
the  baggage  and  stowed  it  nicely  about  me,  while  some 
twenty  gathered  round  in  their  shirts  and  sat  down  to  talk. 
They  provided  me  with  such  food  as  the  hour  permitted, 

1  A  title  given  to  official  personages,  and  sometimes  to  Frank  trav- 
ellers. 


168  VISIT    TO    THE 

and  we  sat  talking  until  one  after  another  had  stolen  away 
to  his  bed  on  some  adjacent  roof,  and  I  remained  alone  with 
the  chief.  This  fashion  of  sleeping  upon  roofs  is  a  great 
luxury  in  a  country  where  the  air  is  balmy  and  dry,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  deliverance  from  vermin,  which  swarm  in 
the  apartments  below.  A  friend  of  mine  used  to  inclose 
himself  in  a  bag  and  draw  up  the  strings  of  it  about  his 
neck,  and  he  recommended  it  to  me  as  an  effectual  security 
against  fleas,  lice,  and  other  specimens  of  entomology 
which  abound  in  the  interior.  But  I  could  never  bring 
myself  to  forego  the  use  of  arms  and  legs  in  a  country 
where  they  are  sometimes  necessary  upon  a  sudden.  Better 
"  to  bear  the  ills  we  have,  than  fly  to  others  that  we  know 
not  of."  The  fact  of  a  man's  being  ready  sacked  would  be 
temptation  enough  in  some  parts  of  Turkey  for  the  people 
to  throw  him  into  a  river. 

Our  meal  and  our  talk  done,  we  lay  down  and  slept 
quietly  till  morning,  when  the  villagers  sent  me  away  with 
two  men  on  foot,  who,  they  said,  would  conduct  me  to  the 
village  of  Hadid,  an  hour  distant,  where  I  could  find  horses 
for  them.  There  were  no  horses  at  Hadid,  a  Mussulman 
village,  and  we  went  to  another,  called  Bitouna,  a  few 
minutes'  ride  to  the  East,  wheret  he  Agha  resided.  He  re- 
ceived us  well,  and  gave  us  a  good  breakfast  to  begin  the 
day  with,  but  he  laughed  at  the  idea  of  travelling  with 
guards  in  the  well-governed  district  of  Jezireh.  "  Put 
your  gold  on  your  head  and  go  your  way,"  he  said;  "no- 
body will  injure  you."  He  gave  us,  however,  a  man  to  show 
us  the  road,  who  turned  out  to  be  a  beggar  that  had  left  his 
wallet  to  come  with  us.  He  was  so  slow  in  his  .motions  that 
I  soon  sent  him  back  to  his  profession,  and  we  travelled  the 
rest  of  the  way  alone.  The  merry  Agha  of  Bitouna  was  right ; 
there  was  no  need  of  guards.  The  peasants  were  scattered  all 
over  the  country,  reaping  their  grain.  Women  and  men  were 
all  at  work,  and  seemed  happy  and  cheerful  in  their  labor. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  169 

The  products  of  their  fields  were  wheat  and  barley,  with 
here  and  there  a  patch  of  Indian  corn,  not  planted  in  hills, 
but  growing  in  single  stalks.  We  passed  also  two  fields 
covered  with  the  tobacco  plant.  Last  year  there  had  been 
a  scarcity  in  the  region,  but  this  year  the  crops  were  extra- 
ordinarily abundant.  The  whole  land  appeared  to  be  re- 
joicing in  the  fruits  of  its  toil.  I  marked  at  once  the  strik- 
ing difference  between  the  districts  of  Mossoul  and  Jezireh. 
There  every  thing  wore  an  aspect  of  gloom  and  decay. 
The  villages  were  half  ruined,  and  the  people  timid  and 
heart-broken.  Here  every  thing  seemed  thriving  and  pros- 
perous, the  people  comparatively  contented,  and  the  land 
yielding  its  increase  to  their  willing  toil.  The  sight  con- 
vinced me  that  it  is  possible  to  combine  here  the  two  great 
features  of  government  which  the  country  requires,  severity 
and  justice.  The  Pasha  of  Mossoul  is  severe,  but  his  rule 
is  too  exacting  and  oppressive  upon  the  property  of  his  sub- 
jects. The  Bey  of  Jezireh  is  both  severe  and  ordinarily 
just.1  At  least  he  does  not  oppress  his  people  with  burdens 
which  they  cannot  bear,  and  they  in  return  boast  of  that 
sternness  of  judgment  which  makes  the  province  as  quiet 
and  peaceful  as  any  country  in  Europe.  It  is  only  a  few 
years  since  it  was  governed  by  rebellious  chiefs,  and  the 
whole  land  was  a  den  of  robbers.  Now,  as  my  good  friend 
of  Bitouna  said,  one  might  put  gold  on  his  head,  and  go 
where  he  pleased. 

The  whole  land  from  Zakho  to  within  about  three  hours 
of  Jezireh,  a  distance  of  about  35  or  40  miles,  is  an  exten- 
sive plain  country,  and  evidently  bears  a  considerable  popu- 
lation. One  of  the  Christian  villages  I  have  already  men- 

1  I  say  this,  not  forgetting  his  horrid  character  as  a  persecutor  of  the 
Christians,  for  he  is  the  same  Bedr  Khan  Bey  who  led  the  Kurds  in  the 
massacre  of  the  Nestorians  in  1843.  He  is  a  bigoted  and  ferocious  Mus- 
sulman, but  I  have  never  heard  any  well-grounded  complaints  of  exaction 
upon  the  property  of  his  subjects. 


170  VISIT    TO    THE 

tinned.  Two  others  are  Takyan  and  Ghirkeh  Badrou,  the 
former  Chaldean,  the  latter  half  Chaldean  and  half  Nesto- 
rian.  These  last  were  the  first  of  whom  I  heard  as  belong- 
ing still  to  the  ancient  Nestorian  Church  of  Mar  Elias,  not 
having,  with  the  great  body  of  that  Church,  acknowledged 
allegiance  to  the  Pope. 

The  heat  was  not  extreme  until  the  middle  of  the  day, 
when  we  began  to  suffer  from  the  rays  of  the  sun.  But  we 
had  fortunately  entered  upon  a  more  hilly  and  rugged  coun- 
try, which  continued  till  we  reached  Jezireh.  We  first 
espied  the  town  from  the  summit  of  a  ridge  about  an  hour 
distant,  whence  it  appeared  lying  below  us  on  a"  strip  of  plain 
between  the  river  Tigris,  which  now  burst  full  in  view,  and 
a  range  of  hills  beyond. 

On  descending  to  the  river,  we  found  in  front  of  the 
town,  the  remains  of  a  handsome  stone  bridge,  which  had 
been  destroyed  by  the  inhabitants  in  the  wars  with  Reshid 
Pasha,  in  1835  6.  This  distinguished  chief,  who  still  lives 
in  the  memory  of  the  people,  and  whose  name  is  still  heard 
in  the  songs  of  the  Kurds,  was  deputed  by  the  Sultan  to 
bring  all  these  provinces,  Mardin,  Jebel  Tour,  Jezireh,  and 
Zakho,  into  subjection.  They  were  then  held  by  Kurdish  and 
Arab  Beys,  who  owned  no  authority  above  their  own.  On 
approaching  Jezireh  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and 
finding  the  communication  cut  off,  the  Pasha  planted  his 
cannon  and  battered  it  into  submission.  The  terror  of  the 
Kurds  when  they  heard  the  roar  of  this  new  engine,  was  well 
described  to  me  by  a  chief  of  their  own.  "  I  am  ready,"  he 
said,  "  to  meet  any  man  with  a  good  sword,  or  to  try  a  shot 
with  him  at  a  proper  distance  ;  but  I  must  confess  that  when 
I  heard  the  sound  of  those  bellowing  machines,  and  saw 
them  throwing  their  huge  balls  to  a  distance  whence  we 
could  send  nothing  in  return,  I  felt  very  much  inclined  to 
get  behind  a  stone."  The  stone  bridge  had  been  replaced 
by  one  of  boats,  like  those  at  Bagdad  and  Mossoul,  but  this 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  171. 

was  now  drawn  up  on  one  side  for  repairs.  We  were  there- 
fore compelled  to  trust  to  rafts  made,  like  those  on  the  Zab 
and  Tigris,  of  inflated  goat-skins,  supporting  a  platform  of 
osier  work.  That  to  which  we  committed  ourselves  was 
small  and  rickety,  and  the  current,  which  here  comes  round 
a  bend,  was  rapid  and  furious,  rushing  and  boiling  in  eddies. 
It  seemed  a  hazardous  task,  as  the  little  raft  plunged  into 
the  current,  and  was  carried  violently  down,  and  then  rush- 
ed up  again,  turning  and  twisting  in  the  eddies,  as  if  it  were 
going  down  in  a  young  Maelstrom  ;  but  we  got  safely  over. 
The  postilion  from  Zakho  was  prudent  enough  to  keep  the 
horses  on  the  other  side.  I  sat  upon  the  bank  where  we 
landed,  for  an  hour,  broiling  in  the  hot  sun,  while  the  ser- 
vant went  to  deliver  my  letter  for  the  Bey,  and  find  a  lodg- 
ing-place. The  Bey  was  absent  in  the  mountains,  but  his 
deputy  read  the  letter,  and  ordered  lodgings  to  be  provided 
in  the  house  of  a  Chaldean,  who,  finding  me  to  be  a  Chris- 
tian, gave  me  a  truly  Christian  reception,  and  treated  me 
with  the  same  kindness  as  if  I  had  been  an  invited  guest. 
He  was  a  young  man  lately  married,  and  it  was  pleasant  to 
see  his  sprightly  little  wife  moving  actively  about  in  her 
household  duties,  and  doing  every  thing  in  her  power  to 
make  me  comfortable.  She  wore  no  veil.  Her  fair  and 
youthful  face  was  beaming  with  good-humor  and  happiness. 
She  conversed  freely  with  her  husband,  and,  like  a  modest 
matron,  made  him  the  medium  of  communication  with  her 
guest.  I  was  attracted  by  the  scene,  which  brought  faintly 
to  my  mind  images  of  home  and  social  delights,  and  the 
converse  of  friends  gliding  softly  into  my  mind  like  the 
recollections  of  a  dream,  and  almost  making  me  doubt,  by 
their  pleasantness,  whether  they  had  ever  been  real.  I  was 
beguiled  to  spend  the  rest  of  the  day  with  them,  although 
my  intention  had  been  otherwise  when  I  reached  the  town.  I 
felt,  moreover,  the  need  of  repose  from  the  heat  of  the  sun, 
and  hoped  to  make  a  few  inquiries  in  the  town.  Above  all, 


172  VISIT    TO    THE 

there  was  no  post-establishment  in  the  place,  and  I  could 
obtain  no  horses  for  my  journey  through  the  Tour  moun- 
tains. 

After  an  hour's  repose  I  went  abroad  to  see  the  town, 
my  host  accompanying  me  as  guide.  I  had  already  been 
struck  by  its  ruinous  appearance  on  entering,  and  the  im- 
pression was  not  removed  by  a  closer  survey.  It  was  in 
truth  a  melancholy  mass  of  ruins,  amidst  which  a  house 
was  here  and  there  left  standing,  rather  than  a  town  with 
here  and  there  a  ruined  building.  There  was  a  low  wall 
around  it,  and  on  the  river-side  a  citadel  in  ruins,  where  I 
observed  nothing  worthy  of  note  excepting  the  figures  of 
two  lions  over  the  gateway.  The  town  contains  200 
families,  of  which  50  are  Chaldean  and  Syrian  Papists,  (the 
two  forming  one  community  and  worshipping  in  the  same 
Church,)  12  Syrian,  and  a  solitary  Armenian,  who  worships 
with  the  Syrians.  There  is  a  Chaldean  Bishop  who  came 
a  year  ago  from  Bagdad,  and  had  now  been  absent  two  and 
a  half  months.  His  flock  asked  me  whether  I  knew  what 
had  become  of  him.  From  the  description  I  judged  him  to 
be  the  same  that  1  had  seen  at  Diabekir,  and  thought  it  not 
improper  to  inform  his  people  where  their  Bishop  was. 
They  seemed  relieved  by  the  information.  There  are  15 
Chaldean  villages  in  the  district  of  which  Jezireh  is  the 
capital,  and  others  partly  Chaldean.  Some  of  them  are 
large,  containing  100  families  or  more,  others  are  insigni- 
ficant. The  whole  Chaldean  population  of  Jezireh  may  be 
reckoned  at  1000  families,  or  about  5000  souls. 

There  are  also  in  the  same  district  about  the  same  number 
of  Nestorian  villages,  and  probably  about  the  same  popula- 
tion. These,  as  I  have  said,  are  a  remnant  of  the  Church 
of  Mar  Elias,  who  have  not  yet  learned  to  call  themselves 
Catoleek.  The  people  informed  me  that  they  have  a  Patri- 
arch of  their  own  at  a  place  called  Kilisseh1  in  Jebel  Judi, 

1  The  Turkish  for  Church,  a  corruption  of  the  Greek,  ' 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  173 

two  hours  from  Jezireh  ;  but  from  the  description,  I  judged 
him  to  be  the  old  Nestorian  Bishop,  formerly  Bishop  of 
Jezireh,  who  retired  into  the  mountains  upon  the  defection 
of  his  Church,  and  is  the  only  Bishop  of  the  Church  of  Mar 
Elias  who  has  not  acknowledged  the  Pope. 

Jezireh  is  also  the  see  of  a  Syrian  Bishop,  who  is  now 
resident  at  Azik  in  the  Tour  Mountains,  six  and  a  half 
hours  from  the  town.  The  district  contains,  so  far  as  I 
could  learn,  13  Syrian  villages,  but  I  have  some  reason  to 
believe  that  the  number  was  understated.  I  was  told,  more- 
over, that  the  last  year  a  Papal  Syrian  priest  from  Bagdad 
had  gone  among  these  villages,  and  succeeded  in  making 
seven  of  them  Catoleek,  not  by  preaching  to  them  the  Catho- 
lic faith,  but  by  showing  them  the  temporal  advantages  of 
acknowledging  the  Pope.  This,  says  a  Syrian  Bishop  to 
me,  is  not  Catoleek  (Catholic)  but  Keutnluk.1  I  believe, 
however,  that  the  story  is  exaggerated,  so  far  as  regards  the 
success  of  the  mission,  although  it  is  true  that  such  a  mis- 
sion was  undertaken.  It  is  not  a  rare  thing  for  the  poor 
uninstructed  people  hereabout  to  allow  themselves  to  be 
called  Catoleek  for  a  trifling  compensation,  and  to  turn  back 
again  as  soon  as  the  money  is  exhausted.  If  it  is  melan- 
choly to  see  men  thus  disposing  of  their  religion  by  sale  and 
barter,  how  much  greater  is  their  sin  who,  better  taught  as 
they  are,  can  use  such  means  for  extending  their  boasted 
and  exclusive  Catholicity.  If  it  is  the  Catholic  faith  which 
they  sell,  is  this  faith  a  gift  to  be  purchased  with  money  ? 
If  it  is,  as  I  believe,  the  name  only,  with  a  temporal  advan- 
tage attached  to  it,  it  is  still  an  awful  trifling  with  a  sacred 
thing.  In  either  case,  and  with  no  evil  feelings,  we  desire 
that  they  may  repent  of  this  their  wickedness,  and  pray 
God  if  perhaps  the  thought  of  their  heart  may  be  forgiven 
them.  Acts  viii.  18-24. 

1  Keutuluk — a  Turkish  word,  meaning  vileness,  badness. 


174  VISIT    TO    THE 


CHAPTER    XV. 

Troubles  in  the  Tour  Dagh. — Change  of  Roitfe. — The  Churches  of  Je- 
zireh. — The  Chaldean  Church. — Conversation  with  the  Priest. — His 
Idea  of  the  English  Church. — Romish  Falsehoods. — The  Church. — Its 
Interior. — Quarrel  in  the  Church-yard. — The  Syrian  Church — Its 
School. — On  the  Mode  of  Circulating  the  Holy  Scriptures. — Evening 
Prayers. — Talk  in  the  Evening  on  Oppression  and  Proselytism. — De- 
parture from  Jezireh. — Death  of  a  Missionary  in  the  Desert. — Kargo. 
— Haznaour. — The  Syrians  of  the  Desert. — The  Bigamist. — His  Ex- 
communication.— Tediousness  of  Travelling  over  a  Desert. — The 
Church  of  St.  James  at  Nisibis. — Dara. — Its  Ancient  State. — Survey  of 
its  Ruins  — Its  Inhabitants. — Road  to  Kherin. — Ancient  Tombs. — Re- 
ception at  Kherin. — The  Value  of  Selfish  Friendship. — Departure. — 
Sight  of  Der  Zafran. — Its  Position. — Arrival  at  its  Gate. 

JUNE  26.  Intended  to  have  left  to  day,  but  morning 
came,  and  there  were  no  horses.  I  thought  the  Deputy  Gov- 
ernor had  been  inattentive  to  my  wants,  and  instead  of  a 
present  which  I  had  prepared  for  him,  I  sent  him  the  Sul- 
tan's firman.  It  had  the  desired  effect  of  making  him  active. 
He  sent  hither  and  thither  for  horses,  but  none  were  to  be 
had.  There  were  many  in  the  town,  and  two  caravans  were 
ready  to  depart,  but  none  of  the  muleteers  were  willing  to 
take  the  mountain  road.  I  had  come  to  Jezireh  with  no 
other  purpose  than  that  of  going  through  the  length  of  Tour 
Dagh,  which  would  carry  me  through  the  heart  of  the  Syri- 
an country.  But  a  story  was  abroad  that  the  Kurds,  who 
inhabit  a  part  of  the  range,  were  in  rebellion  against  the 
Pasha  of  Mossoul.  Some  had  been  taken  prisoners  by  the 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  175 

Governor  of  Mardin,  and  the  whole  population  were  in  an 
excited  and  dangerous  state.  But  this  I  thought  an  insuffi- 
cient obstacle,  partly  because  I  did  not  believe  the  story, 
and  partly  because  the  object  seemed  an  important  one.  I 
offered,  therefore,  a  considerable  sum  in  addition  to  the 
regular  price  for  horses,  to  any  one  who  would  accompany 
me.  One  at  length  came  and  made  a  bargain,  and  went 
away  to  bring  the  animals,  but  I  never  saw  him  again. 
The  Governor  offered  to  send  to  the  villages  and  seize 
horses,  and  compel  some  one  to  accompany  me.  But  this 
I  did  riot  like.  It  was  worse  than  sacrificing  my  own  wishes. 
I  sacrificed  them,  therefore,  and  immediately  formed  an- 
other and  better  plan  for  accomplishing  the  same  object 
at  a  later  day.  The  story~afterwards  proved  true,  and  for  a 
wonder  the  circumstances  attending  the  rebellion  were  of  a 
more  aggravated  character  than  the  rumor  itself.  It  is 
often  hard  to  submit,  and  sometimes  we  can  see  no  way  in 
which  the  disappointment  can  be  otherwise  than  an  injury  ; 
but  as  events  develope  themselves,  we  behold  what  we  most 
deprecated  to  have  been  really  the  best  for  ourselves  and 
for  the  glory  of  God. 

I  was  occupied  most  of  the  day  in  these  negotiations, 
acting  through  others,  as  the  heat  was  too  great  to  allow  of 
my  going  abroad.  Three  hours  before  sunset  the  business 
was  settled,  and  I  went  out  with  my  host  to  see  the  Churches. 
There  are  two  in  the  town,  one  Syrian,  and  one  Chaldean- 
We  went  to  the  last  mentioned  first.  My  host  finding  the 
Church  door  locked,  went  to  the  house  of  the  priest,  which 
was  close  by,  for  the  key,  and  I  followed  him  in.  The 
priest,  a  man  of  about  thirty-five,  was  sitting  in  an  outer 
apartment  looking  upon  the  court,  on  the  side  opposite  to 
the  house.  He  was  nearly  undressed,  on  account  of  the 
heat,  and  sat  reading  an  Arabic  book  when  we  entered. 
Another  in  Arabic  and  a  third  in  Chaldaic  lay  by  his  side 


176  VISIT    TO    THE 

My  host,  who  had  never  heard  of  the  New  World,  an- 
nounced me  as  an  Englishman,  upon  which  the  priest  re- 
ceived me  with  marked  coldness  and  incivility.  Not  appear- 
ing to  notice  it,  I  took  a  seat  by  his  side  and  soon  succeeded 
in  leading  him  into  conversation.  I  was  not  long  in  learn- 
ing that  he  had  a  strong  and  deep-rooted  prejudice  against 
the  English,  and  that  this  was  a  part  of  his  Catholicism. 
We  began  to  discuss  differences.  He  commenced  by  saying 
that  in  England  priests  were  made  by  laymen,  that  the  great 
men  gave  them  the  priestly  office  and  took  it  away  at  pleas- 
ure. I  corrected  him,  and  described  the  order  of  the  min- 
istry in  the  English  Church.  My  host  who  stood  by,  broke 
in  with  an  exclamation  of  pleasure  when  I  said  that  we  had 
the  same  three  orders  which  they  acknowledged,  and  that, 
as  among  themselves,  only  the  first  order  could  ordain  the 
other  two.  But  the  priest  promptly  declared  that  he  would 
not  believe  it. 

"  And  why  will  you  not  believe  it?"  I  asked,  "  What  do 
you  know  of  the  Church  of  England  ?" 

"It  is  all  written  in  this  book,"  he  said,  slapping  with 
his  hand  the  volume  he  was  reading. 

"And  pray  where  did  that  book  come  from?  I  see  it  is 
printed." 

"  It  came  from  Rome,"  he  replied,  "  and  therefore  must 
be  true."  I  told  him  that  I  was  a  priest  myself,  that  a 
Bishop's  hands  had  twice  been  laid  upon  me,  and  that  on 
this  subject  I  might  claim  to  know  as  much  as  the  Pope 
himself.  Upon  this  he  relaxed  a  little,  and  began  to  show 
me  some  attention,  and  very  soon  we  were  upon  as  good 
terms  as  if  he  had  been  civil  from  the  beginning.  I  confess, 
however,  that  the  incident  did  not  tend  to  increase  my 
respect  for  the  Catoleck-ism  imported  from  Rome.  Had 
the  book  been  a  faithful  announcement  of  the  great  truths 
of  our  Saviour's  nature  and  person,  it  would  have  afforded 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  177 

me  unmingled  gratification,  come  from  whatever  quarter  it 
might.  I  was  not  surprised,  however,  to  find  it  of  another 
character,  for  the  same  slanders  are  most  diligently  propa- 
gated every  where  among  the  Eastern  Churches.  I  have 
met  them  at  every  point  from  Bagdad  to  Constantinople, 
and  have  found  them  invariably  to  have  come  from  the  same 
source.  Why  is  it  that  the  Church  of  Rome  deems  it  ne- 
cessary to  the  accomplishment  of  her  own  designs  that  she 
should  thus  speak  evil  of  the  Church  of  England?  What 
has  it  to  do  with  the  progress  of  Catholicism,  or  with  those 
great  truths  and  duties  of  religion  which  every  real  Catholic 
must  wish  to  see  disseminated  and  insisted  upon  among  the 
Eastern  Christians?  These  questions  we  shall  answer  here- 
after, and  if  the  explanation  shows  that  the  cause  of  Rome 
favors  only  ecclesiastical  and  political  ambition,  while  it 
is  adverse  to  Catholic  truth  and  unity,  it  may  at  least  serve 
to  teach  us  our  own  duty,  and  stimulate  us  to  the  perform- 
ance of  it. 

The  Chaldean  Priest  led  the  way  to  the  Church,  and 
showed  me  its  different  parts.  The  outer  door  opened  upon 
a  court,  on  one  side  of  which  was  the  Church,  a  low,  plain 
building,  with  a  very  ancient  and  decayed  appearance.  The 
interior  was  in  keeping  with  the  outside.  The  altar  and 
every  thing  about  it  was  old,  dirty,  and  neglected,  excepting 
one  large  picture  of  the  Virgin,  and  other  smaller  ones  of 
the  same  Saint.  These  being,  like  the  Priest's  book,  im- 
portations from  Rome,  were  as  new  and  fresh  as  the  Catoleek- 
ism  of  the  Church.  My  host  devoutly  crossed  and  bowed 
himself  before  it.  What  would  his  ancestors  150  years 
back,  have  thought  of  it,  could  they  have  beheld  the  act  ? 
The  Bishop's  seat  was  a  rude  low  stool,  and  before  the  altar, 
a  little  in  advance  of  it,  was  a  stone  post  on  which  the  Gos- 
,pel  is  read.  The  farther  part  of  the  Church  was  hidden  by 
a  broken  lattice,  behind  which  the  women  assemble.  Be- 
tween this  and  the  altar,  the  whole  space  was  clear,  as  it 


178  VISIT    TO    THE 

always  is  in  Oriental  Churches, — a  custom  arising  doubtless 
from  Oriental  habits  and  not  from  religious  considerations. 
In  those  parts  of  the  service  where  sitting  is  allowed,  the 
congregation  sit  upon  the  ground,  on  their  carpets,  or  on 
the  straw  matting  with  which  the  best  Churches  are  covered. 
In  some  Churches,  I  have  seen  parts  of  the  floor  rented  to 
families,  who  spread  their  carpets  there  and  let  them  remain 
as  long  as  they  have  possession. 

While  we  were  in  the  building  a  body  of  muleteers,  who 
had  been  to  my  lodgings  in  search  of  me,  and  not  finding 
me  there,  had  traced  me  to  the  Church,  came  into  the  court 
and  offered  their  services  for  my  journey.  I  retired  a  little 
from  the  Church,  and  selecting  the  best-looking  among  them, 
made  a  bargain  with  him  on  the  spot.  We  then  returned  to 
the  Church,  and  the  muleteer  whom  I  had  engaged  came 
back  with  me  and  remained  in  the  court.  Presently  a  loud 
noise  was  heard,  and  on  going  out,  I  found  the  muleteer  in 
the  hands  of  half  a  dozen  men  who  were  carrying  him  off  by 
force.  It  was  some  time  before  I  could  learn  the  cause  of 
the  uproar,  during  which  a  few  blows  were  given  and  re- 
ceived. It  turned  out  at  last  that  the  muleteer  had  been 
engaged  by  another  party,  and  learning  afterwards  that  a 
Frank  was  in  the  place,  he  had  come  and  made  a  second  and 
better  bargain  with  me.  As  soon  as  I  ascertained  the  cause 
of  the  turmoil,  I  stopped  it  at  once  by  telling  the  muleteer 
that  I  would  not  have  him,  and  then  gave  them,  one  and  all, 
a  rebuke  for  quarreling  in  the  Church-yard.  They  were  all, 
or  nearly  all,  Christians.  I  felt  mortified  at  the  occurrence, 
although  I  was  innocently  and  very  unwillingly  the  occasion 
of  it,  and  apologized  to  the  Priest  for  it.  Instead  of  being 
offended,  he  commended  me  for  my  mildness,  and  so  we 
parted  better  friends  than  we  met. 

From  the  Chaldean  Church  I  went  to  the  Syrian,  which 
I  found,  in  respect  to  uncleanliness  and  decay,  in  much  the 
same  condition.  The  court  was  large,  and  there  were  one 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  179 

or  two  low  buildings  upon  it,  intended  for  the  priests  and 
servants  of  the  Church.  Under  the  piazza,  a  priest  was 
teaching  six  or  seven  boys,  one  of  whom  was  reading  the 
Gospel  in  Syriac,  which  I  observed  was  printed,  and  on  ex- 
amining, found  it  to  be  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society's  edition.  The  way  in  which  this  edition  was  put 
into  circulation  among  the  Syrians  is  worthy  of  mention,  as 
showing  the  importance  of  quiet  and  conservative  measures, 
and  the  superior  excellence  of  reorganizing  the  Eastern 
Communions  as  regularly  organized  Christian  Churches. 
The  reader  will  pardon  the  digression  for  the  sake  of  illus- 
trating a  principle.  The  books  were  sent  by  an  agent  of  the 
Society,  a  worthy  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England,  to 
the  Patriarch,  by  whom  they  were  duly  examined.  Finding 
no  errors  in  them,  excepting  some  harmless  mistakes  of  the 
press,  he  ordered  them  to  be  circulated.  They  are  now  to 
be  found  in  schools  and  Churches  and  private  houses,  going 
freely  wherever  they  list,  read,  studied,  and  rejoiced  in,  re- 
lieving the  long  dearth  of  the  Word  of  God.  Had  the  mode 
of  distribution  been  different,  the  Result  would  have  been  dif- 
ferent also.  The  Patriarch,  thinking  the  surreptitious  mode  of 
their  circulation  sufficient  reason  for  suspecting  their  char- 
acter and  design,  might  have  condemned  them  without  ex- 
amination, as  I  know  has  been  done  in  other  cases.  In  this, 
according  to  the  rules  of  his  Church,  he  would  have  been 
justified,  not  that  his  Church  prohibits  or  restricts  the  reading 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  but  that  as  head  of  the  family  he  has 
authority  to  prevent  his  children  from  eating  pernicious  or 
suspected  food.  Whatever  we  may  think  of  such  an  ecclesias- 
tical censorship,  it  is,  if  we  cannot  view  it  higher,  the  part 
of  prudence  to  remember  that  it  exists,  and  to  act  accord- 
ingly. "I  am  sorry,"  said  an  Eastern  Patriarch,  "  that  they 
will  give  themselves  the  trouble  of  printing  and  circulating, 
and  us  of  collecting  and  burning  their  unauthorized  books." 
The  remark,  which  seemed  to  be  said  soberly  and  in  earnest, 


180  VISIT    TO    THE 

contains  matter  for  grave  reflection,  especially  when  we  re- 
member that  the  result  alluded  to  has  been  verified  even  in 
the  case  of  translations  of  the  Bible.  A  serious  examina- 
tion may  give  rise  to  the  question,  whether,  if  there  has  been 
any  sin  in  burning  these  translations,  it  does  not  rest  in  part 
upon  those  who  adopt  a  mode  of  circulation  which  may  lead 
to  this  result.  It  is  not  enough  to  say  that  it  is  our  duty  to 
make  known  the  word  of  God,  whether  men  will  receive  it 
or  n<^  This  may  be  true,  and  it  may  be  true  farther  that 
men  are  bound  to  receive  it;  but  it  does  not  follow  that  they 
are  bound  to  receive  any  version  of  it  which  it  pleases  me 
•or  another  man  to  set  forth.  We  do  not  acknowledge  such 
a  rule  to  be  binding  upon  ourselves,  and  we  cannot  with 
justice  enforce  it  upon  others.  Nor  is  it  a  sufficient  plea 
that  the  Eastern  Christians  are  destitute  of  modern  versions 
of  the  Scriptures,  and  that,  therefore,  they  should  receive 
what  we  give  them  with  gratitude.  They  cannot  formally 
accept  what  has  never  been  formally  offered,  nor  is  it  proba- 
ble that  they  would  be  predisposed  to  accept,  or  even  ex- 
amine, what  has  been  made,  printed,  published,  and  circula- 
ted without  their  knowledge  or  consent.  Neither  is  it  to  be 
taken  for  granted  that  these  translations  have  been  prohibited 
or  burned  as  the  word  of  God.  Horrible  thought !  Happy 
am  I  in  saying  that  there  is  not  one,  I  believe,  of  the  hun- 
dreds of  Eastern  clergy  with  whom  I  have  associated  and 
conversed,  who  would  not  shrink  from  it  with  a  shudder  of 
disgust  and  terror.  There  is  a  manifest  difference  between 
the  Word  of  God  in  itself  considered,  and  a  version  of  the 
Bible  known  to  be  unauthorized,  and  because  unauthorized, 
believed  to  be  sectarian.  If  we  were  to  consult  our  own 
feelings,  there  is  perhaps  no  book  which  we  would  be  more 
ready  to  burn,  none  certainly  which  we  would  more  gladly 
see  withdrawn  from  circulation,  than  a  translation  of  the  Bible 
which  contained,  or  which  we  believed  to  contain,  an  abuse 
or  perversion  of  the  true  Word  of  God.  The  more  strongly 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  181 

we  held  the  Anglican,  which  is  also  the  Oriental  principle t 
that  "  Holy  Scripture  containeth  all  things  necessary  to 
salvation."  the  more  dangerous  would  appear  to  us  any 
falsifying  thereof,  and  the  more  diligently  to  be  striven 
against.  I  must,  therefore,  enter  my  earnest  protest  against 
the  use  which  has  been  made  of  the  prohibition,  and,  in  some 
few  cases,  (confined,  I  believe,  to  the  Greeks,)  of  the  burn- 
ing of  missionary  translations  of  the  Bible.  It  is  an  extrava- 
gant inference  from  the  facts,  though  one  which  I  have  seen 
repeatedly  made  by  missionaries  and  travellers,  that  the 
Eastern  clergy  are  opposed  to  true  religion  and  the  Word  of 
God.  The  inference  might  be  proved  true,  or  the  contrary, 
by  other  evidence,  (I  think  the  latter  when  speaking  of  them 
as  a  body,)  but  it  is  not  deducible  from  the  facts  now  stated. 
The  threat,  therefore,  of  an  English  missionary  to  an  East- 
ern Bishop,  that  "  if  he  burned  these  translations,  he  should 
himself  burn  in  hell,"  was  unjustifiable  in  the  extreme,  to 
say  nothing  of  its  impropriety  on  other  grounds. 

I  must  again  beg  the  reader's  pardon  for  this  long  di- 
gression in  the  Syrian  Church-yard  of  Jezireh.  I  noticed 
that  in  both  these  Churches  there  was  a  sculptured  lion  on 
each  side  of  the  main  entrance,  in  the  walls  of  the  building, 
and  that  this  entrance  was  not,  as  is  most  common  in  East- 
ern Churches,  at  the  west  end,  opposite  the  altar,  but  on  the 
north  or  south  side,  midway  of  the  building.  Within, 
there  was  little  worthy  of  note;  the  three  altars  as  usual, 
a  picture  of  the  Virgin,  rude  and  torn,  another  of  the  cru- 
cifixion, and  others  on  religious  subjects.  The  people  were 
already  gathered  at  the  door  for  prayers.  Most  of  the  men 
followed  me  into  the  Church,  and  explained  every  thing  ex- 
cepting some  Syriac  inscriptions  on  the  walls,  of  which  they 
even  said  they  did  not  know  the  language.  Among  them 
was  the  solitary  Armenian,  who  told  me  that  formerly,  when 
there  were  several  families  of  his  nation  in  Jezireh,  they 
used  to  have  a  priest  of  their  own,  and  occupied  one  of  the 

9 


182  VISIT    TO    THE 

small  chambers  on  the  court,  for  a  chapel,  but  that  now, 
being  the  only  one  left,  he  worshipped  with  his  brethren  the^ 
Syrians.  There  are  only  twelve  Syrian  families  in  the  town. 
Judging  from  the  number  waiting  before  the  door  for  eve- 
ning prayers, nearly  the  whole  male  population  must  have  been 
at  Church.  It  was  a  pleasant  sight  to  behold  them,  just  as 
the  labors  of  the  day  were  closed,  assembling  to  render 
thanks  for  its  mercies  and  to  beg  protection  for  the  night. 
Even  though  they  understand  little  of  the  language  of  the 
service,  the  mere  act  of  gathering  thus,  day  by  day,  at  early 
dawn  and  eventide,  must  have  a  good  and  hallowing  influ- 
ence. It  must  remind  them  constantly  of  their  brotherhood 
It  must  soften  asperities,  heal  or  prevent  animosities,  and 
tend  to  preserve  the  remembrance  and  love  of  their  faith. 
Even  upon  myself,  a  stranger  to  them,  it  never  failed  to 
have  a  subduing  and  hallowing  effect.  The  associations  of 
morning  and  evening,  the  first  thoughts  raised  to  God  and 
the  last  hour  spent  with  Him,  gave  to  these  sacred  duties  a 
peculiar  impressiveness  and  propriety. 

In  the  evening,  a  little  company  of  Chaldeans  and  Syr- 
ians came  and  sat  with  me  upon  the  roof.  We  talked  of 
oppressions  and  conversions — first  of  their  rulers,  and  then 
of  themselves.  They  all  agreed  that  they  had  never  known 
of  conversions  to  Popery,  but  from  mercenary  motives.  In- 
deed, without  any  such  testimony,  the  fact  is  plain ;  for 
what  can  people  wholly  uninstructed  understand  of  the  dif- 
ferences between  the  Church  of  Rome  and  themselves. 
The  stories  which  they  told  of  their  own  oppressions  and 
sufferings,  were  simple  and  touching.  They  told  me  of  the 
incursion  of  Ravandouz  Bey  some  years  ago,  and  of  the 
great  number  of  Christian  females  and  boys  which  he  car- 
ried away  captive  and  sold.  Among  them  was  the  wife  of 
the  Syrian  priest  of  Jezireh,  who  was  carried  to  Bagdad, 
where  she  was  forced  to  become  the  wife  of  a  Mussulman, 
by  whom  she  had  two  children.  She  was  afterwards  res- 


SYRIAN    CHURCH. 

cued,  and  had  just  found  her  way  back  to  her  husband, 
leaving  behind  her  her  Mohammedan  offspring.  The  good 
priest  received  her  with  joy  as  one  from  the  dead.  Two 
sisters  of  my  fair  hostess  had  been  taken  in  the  same  way, 
and  she  had  lately  heard  that  both  were  dead.  Between 
thirty  and  forty  from  this  neighborhood  were  still  in  bond- 
age, compelled  to  serve  the  pleasure  of  their  Mohammedan 
masters.  They  begged  me  to  do  something  for  their  relief, 
and  I  readily  promised  to  do  all  in  my  power, — a  promise 
which  I  have  since  labored  to  fulfil. 

I  left  Jezireh  on  the  morning  of  the  27th  of  June,  and 
travelled  three  hours  to  a  little  Kurdish  village,  where  the 
people  had  neither  bread  nor  any  thing  else  to  eat,  or  if  they 
had,  they  would  not  give  them  to  us.  Their  houses  were 
too  dirty  to  enter,  so  I  lay  under  a  mulberry  tree  for  several 
hours,  and  at  last  rose  and  went  away  in  the  heat  of  the  day. 
1  shall  always  remember  the  mulberry  tree  and  its  grateful 
shade,  though  it  was  old  and  decayed  ;  for  a  tree  of  any 
kind,  excepting  in  cultivated  gardens,  is  a  luxury  rarely  to 
be  found  in  these  sun-burnt  regions.  We  passed  by  two 
other  villages  during  the  day,  and  saw  several  in  the  distance. 
The  inhabitants  were  complaining  of  poverty  and  famine, 
although  their  corn,  wheat,  and  barley  fields  were  waving 
with  a  luxuriant  harvest.  I  had  heard  at  Jezireh  that  a 
party  of  Franks  were  on  the  road,  and  that  one  of  them  was 
sick  at  a  village  not  far  from  the  town.  I  had,  therefore, 
left  the  route  which  I  had  proposed  pursuing,  along  the  base 
of  the  Tour  Dagh,  and  travelled  direct  towards  Nisibin,  in 
the  hope  of  meeting  them  and  rendering  some  assistance. 
I  saw  nothing  of  them  during  the  day,  and  it  was  only  when 
I  reached  Haznaour  the  next  morning,  that  I  learned  they 
had  taken  a  road  farther  to  the  East,  so  that  we  had  passed 
within  a  few  miles  of  each  other  without  meeting.  I  ascer- 
tained afterwards  at  Mardin,  that  they  were  American  mis- 


184  VISIT    TO    THE 

sionaries  with  their  wives,  on  their  way  to  Mossoul,  and  that 
one  of  them  had  died  on  the  road,  and  it  was  only  after  my 
arrival  in  Constantinople,  in  August,  that  I  learned  the  name 
of  the  deceased,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Mitchell,  and  heard  that  his 
wife,  with  their  new-born  child,  had  died  soon  after  reaching 
Mossoul.  The  melancholy  event  gave  rise  to  many  sad 
reflections,  and  was  perhaps  one  of  many  experiences  which 
have  conjoined  to  settle  the  conviction  in  my  mind  that  it  is 
inexpedient  for  married  females  to  engage  as  missionary 
pioneers  in  such  lands  as  Mesopotamia  and  Kurdistan. 

I  travelled  four  hours  farther  after  leaving  the  mulberry 
tree,  and  stopped  at  Kargo,  a  Kurdish  village  on  the  border 
of  the  Great  Desert,  where  the  Kiahya  gave  us  a  good  dinner, 
to  make  amends  for  our  long  abstinence,  and  put  us  to  bed 
out  of  doors,  with  a  man  to  watch  over  us  all  night.  In  the 
morning  the  watchman  was  found  among  the  sleepers,  but 
nobody  had  molested  us.  We  rose,  and  pursued  our  way 
to  Ilaznaour,  six  and  a  half  hours  distant,  where  we  arrived 
at  10  A.  M.  Here  are  twenty  Syrian  families,  which  form 
the  largest  population  of  that  nation  in  any  one  place  on  the 
desert,  excepting  Kennek,  two  hours  north  of  Haznaour, 
which  is  purely  Syrian,  has  fifty  families  and  a  Church,  the 
only  one  in  all  the  plain.  There  are  other  villages,  exclu- 
sively Syrian,  on  the  edge  of  the  desert,  under  the  mountains 
of  Tour,  and  most,  if  not  all,  of  them  have  Churches.  Be- 
sides these,  there  are  scattered  over  the  plain  between  Sin- 
jar  and  the  Tour,  about  forty  villages  in  which  there  is  a 
mingled  population  of  Syrians  and  Mussulmans,  but  one  and 
all  destitute  of  a  Church.  They  sometimes  come  up  to 
Kennek  to  worship.  A  Syrian  of  Ilaznaour  remarked  that 
they  needed  a  Church  in  some  central  spot  where  the  scat- 
tered population  of  the  desert  might  go  up  to  worship.  I 
recommended  to  him  to  rebuild  St.  James  at  Nisibin,  and 
the  man  jumped  at  the  thought.  Many  a  long  year,  I  fear, 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  185 

will  pass  before  this  venerable  relic  of  ancient  days  shall 
put  on  robes  of  newness  and  beauty.1 

The  principal  Syrian  at  Haznaour  was  one  Marghas, 
the  Deputy  of  the  Ayan,  or  Governor.  He  came  and  sat 
with  me  most  of  the  day,  and  told  me  his  history.  He  had 
formerly  lived  in  the  mountains,  where  he  had  married  and 
brought  up  children.  But  his  union  was  not  a  happy  one. 
His  wife  had  ruined  his  peace  by  her  boisterous  temper, 
which  he  endured  as  long  as  he  could,  but  finding  it  grew 
worse  as  she  grew  older,  he  had  no  other  remedy  than  to 
separate.  He  sought  for  a  divorce  from  the  Church,  but 
the  Syrians  allowing  of  this  extreme  resort  only  in  the 
case  to  which  it  is  confined  by  the  Saviour,1  he  failed  in 
his  request.  His  next  expedient  was  to  take  to  himself  a 
second  wife,  to  supply  the  place  of  the  first.  He  had  thus 
been  guilty  of  bigamy,  and  accordingly  had  been  publicly 
excommunicated  by  his  Bishop,  and  driven  out  of  the 
mountains.  As  I  was  now  on  my  way  to  the  monastery,  he 
begged  me  to  intercede  for  him  with  the  Patriarch,  that 
this  terrible  curse  might  be  removed.  "I  am  now  out  of 
the  Church;"  he  said,  "I  am  a  heathen,  and  if  I  die  so, 
what  will  become  of  me?"  I  was  glad  to  see  this  sense  of 
his  state,  but  said  to  him  that  there  was  no  hope  that  the 
Patriarch  would  restore  him  while  he  remained  in  his  sin, 
as  I  knew  His  Holiness  to  be  severe  and  exact  in  discipline, 
and  that  to  intercede  for  him  in  this  state,  would  make  me 
a  partaker  of  his  guilt.  He  replied  with  much  emotion, 
that  he  would  submit  to  the  Patriarch's  decision,  whatever 
it  might  be,  as  better  than  to  remain  an  outcast  from  his 
people,  and  on  this  condition  I  promised  to  speak  to  the 
Patriarch  about  it.  I  took  occasion,  however,  to  set  before 


1  I  have  described  the  present  Church  in  the  Narrative  of  a  Tour, 
&c.,Vol.  II.  Chap.  22. 
9  Matt.  v.  32  ;  xix.  9. 


186  VISIT    TO    THE 

him  the  enormity  of  his  offence  "and  the  need  of  hearty 
repentance,  to  all  which  he  gave,  apparently,  a  frank  and 
cordial  assent.  I  afterwards  mentioned  the  circumstances 
to  one  of  the  Bishops  in  the  monastery,  who  said  that  the 
sentence  had  been  approved  by  the  Patriarch,  and  several 
attempts  had  been  made  to  obtain  a  reversal,  without  effect. 
The  man,  he  added,  was  rich  and  powerful,  and  the  offence 
was  notorious;  it  was  necessary,  in  such  a  case,  not  to 
weaken  the  bonds  of  discipline ;  if  the  man  was  truly  peni- 
tent, he  knew  very  well  that  he  had  only  to  abandon  his 
unlawful  connexion,  and  corne  and  make  confession,  and 
pray,  and  fast,  and  mourn  for  his  sin,  in  order  to  be  re- 
stored. Such  being  the  case,  I  thought  it  best  to  follow 
his  advice,  and  say  nothing  to  the  Patriarch  about  it.  The 
man  had  been  informed  of  the  terms  of  restoration,  and 
any  intercession  of  mine  would  therefore  be  irregular  and 
improper. 

I  left  Haznaour  three  hours  before  sunset,  but  our 
horses  were  already  so  worn  out  that  we  were  six  hours 
in  going  the  four  which  lay  between  that  place  and 
Nisibin,  so  that  we  did  not  arrive  till  half  past  ten  in  the 
evening.  The  moon  was  up,  and  by  its  light  we  kept  sight 
of  the  new  barracks  at  Nisibin,  which  first  appeared  while 
we  were  still  about  nine  miles  distant.  For  several  hours 
they  were  the  only  object  in  prospect,  and  the  slow  motion 
of  our  horses  gave  us  a  good  opportunity  of  judging  of  the1 
tediousness  of  travelling  over  a  plain  with  such  an  object 
in  view.  There  it  stands,  so  prominent  and  alone  that  the 
eye  of  the  traveller  cannot  avoid  resting  upon  it.  An  hour 
passes,  and  still  it  stands  as  before,  as  prominent,  solitary, 
and  apparently  as  distant.  The  slowness  of  your  approach 
makes  the  change  in  its  distinctness  so  gradual  as  to  be 
almost  imperceptible,  and  when  you  are  within  a  mile  of  it, 
it  seems  nearly  the  same  as  when  you  were  nine  miles  off. 
But  dragging  one  foot  after  another  has  the  effect,  however 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  187 

imperceptible  at  the  time,  of  diminishing  distance,  and  so 
at  length  we  reached  Nisibin.  A  grateful  and  even  a  tri- 
umphant feeling  shot  through  my  heart  when  I  thought  of 
all  which  had  passed  since  I  left  it.  And  then  came  the 
old  ruin  of  St.  James  looming  up  in  the  moonlight,  and  I 
thought  of  the  faith  which  was  once  professed  here,  and  of 
the  prayers  which  had  been  offered,  and  how  that  faith 
might  again  rise  from  its  ruins,  and  those  prayers  go  up 
again  like  incense,  when  the  sway  of  the  oppressor  shall  be 
broken.  As  we  sat  under  the  wall  of  the  Governor's  house, 
where  we  took  up  our  lodgings  for  the  night,  my  servant 
said,  "You  might  know  that  there  was  no  true  faith  in  the 
place  because  no  storks  build  here."  His  opinion  was 
that  they  were  only  to  be  found  among  Christians.  I  re- 
counted to  him  what  Nisibin  had  been,  and  he  thought 
the  storks  might  have  remained  there  as  on  hallowed 
ground. 

We  snatched  a  few  hours  repose,  and  started  again  at 
dawn.  Instead  of  taking  the  main  road  to  Mardin,  we 
struck  off  to  the  right,  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  Dara, 
which  lies  on  the  border  of  the  desert  under  the  mountains. 
We  reached  it  in  five  hours  and  a  half,  without  molestation, 
although  the  road  was  supposed  to  be  dangerous  on  account 
of  the  rebellious  Kurds,  who  inhabit  this  part  of  the  moun- 
tain. I  went  directly  to  the  Governor's  house,  and  after  a 
short  repose,  went  out  to  survey  the  ruins.  The  town  was 
famous  in  its  day,  and  still  lives  in  history  as  one  of  the 
strong  places  of  the  Romans.  Procopius  describes  it  as 
fourteen  miles  from  Nisibis,  and  four  days'  journey  from  the 
Tigris.  We  had  travelled  this  distance  in  twenty-six  hours, 
while  the  estimated  distance  is  twenty-three  hours.  It  was 
fortified  by  Anastasius,  about  A.  D.  505,  and  afterwards  im- 
proved by  Justinian.  It  had  two  walls,  distant  from  each 
other  fifty  paces.  The  inner  wall  was  sixty  feet  high,  and 
its  towers  one  hundred  feet.  The  outer  wall  was  lower, 


188 


VISIT    TO    THE 


but  more  solid,  and  here  each  tower  was  protected  by  a 
quadrangular  bulwark.  The  soil  on  every  side  but  the  S.  E. 
was  hard  and  rocky,  and  on  this  side  a  third  wall  was  ad- 
vanced in  the  shape  of  a  crescent.  The  present  position  of 
the  town  shows  the  truth  of  this  description.  It  lies  in  a 
basin  formed  by  the  hills  which  rise  around  it  on  every  side 
excepting  that  which  looks  upon  the  desert  to  the  S.  E., 
where  the  hills  open,  and  the  soil  is  soft  and  yielding.  The 
crescent  wall  was  then  advanced  to  protect  this  opening,  as 
the  only  point  at  which  the  place  was  exposed  to  danger.1 

Thus  defended,  Dara  continued  for  sixty  years  to  main- 
tain the  hopes  of  its  builders,  and  to  excite  the  jealousy  cf 
the  Persians.  It  was  finally  taken  by  Khosroes,  king  of  Per- 
sia, A.  D.  579,  after  five  months'  strife,  and  then  only  be- 
cause it  had  been  left,  without  troops  and  provisions,  to  de- 
pend upon  the  unaided  courage  of  the  inhabitants. 

The  present  remains  indicate  the  strength  and  import- 
ance of  the  place.  On  entering  from  the  desert  is  a  frag- 
ment of  a  wall,  which  I  judged  to  be  one  hundred  feet, 
high.  It  is  straight  across  the  opening,  and  I  imagined 
might  have  been  a  part  of  the  ancient  inner  wall.  Close  by 
is  a  circular  building  in  ruins,  now  occupied  as  a  mill, 
which  may  probably  have  been  a  tower.  Beyond,  as  you 
pass  the  opening,  the  ruins  appear,  filling  the  level  of  the 
basin  and  the  sides  of  the  hills.  They  consist  chiefly  of 
rectangular  and  oblong  blocks  of  rough-hewn  stone,  which 
lie  disjointed  and  scattered  in  every  direction.  In  the 
midst  of  the  basin  flows  a  stream,  which  pours  itself  out 

1  For  a  good  description  of  Dara,  its  rise,  its  strength,  and  its  fall, 
see  Gibbon,  Dec.  and  Fall,  Chaps.  XL.,  XLVI.  D'Anville  (Gib.  in  Zoc.) 
doubts  the  accuracy  ofProcopius's  estimate  of  the  distance  between  Dara 
and  Nisibis,  but,  according  to  our  rate  and  time  of  travelling,  Procopius 
was  correct.  The  distance  which  he  gives  to  the  Tigris,  is  also  exact,  if 
we  estimate  a  day's  journey  at  20  miles  ;  23  hours  being  about  seventy 
miles. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  189 

through  the  opening,  and  is  lost  in  the  desert.  In  one 
place  there  is  a  bridge  over  it,  where  you  see  the  round 
arches  of  the  Romans,  but  although  small,  it  appears,  from 
the  size  of  the  arches,  to  have  been  made  for  a  much  larger 
stream  than  the  little  rivulet  over  which  it  now  affords  a  pas- 
sage. On  the  left  of  the  bridge,  as  you  enter,  is  a  small 
round  tower,  which  the  inhabitants  say  was  formerly  a  part 
of  a  Church,  and  is  still  used  as  such  by  the  Christian  inhabit- 
ants, who  are  altogether  about  twenty-five  families,  Syrians 
and  Armenians.  Here,  as  elsewhere  where  the  population 
is  scanty  and  poor,  they  all  worship  together  under  the  same 
roof.  Beyond  the  bridge,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  basin, 
rises  a  lofty  square  tower  like  those  attached  to  the  ancient 
Churches,  (now  mosques,)  of  Diarbekir. l  It  stands  at  the 
corner  of  a  building  of  which  the  walls  are  almost  entire. 
Tradition  says  that  it  was  anciently  one  of  the  principal 
Churches.  Its  two  parts  are  still  distinct,  the  court  and  the 
ancient  Narthex,  or  porch,  without,  and  the  nave  within. 
It  is  riot  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  but  square,  as  are  most  of 
the  Churches  in  the  East.  Its  walls  are  all  bare,  as  if  it 
had  been  desolated  by  fire,  but  a  part  of  a  Cufic  inscrip- 
tion is  still  to  be  seen  near  the  door.  As  I  stood  beneath 
its  roofless  walls,  in  the  place  of  its  sanctuary,  under  the 
shade  of  a  wild  tree  which  has  been  suffered  to  grow  there, 
and  my  thoughts  ran  back  to  John  of  Dara,  and  the  worship- 
pers who  had  thronged  its  courts  and  bowed  before  its 
altar,  I  could  well  appreciate  the  feelings  of  an  English 
friend  who  had  visited  the  Church  a  year  before,  and,  as  one 
who  accompanied  him  informed  me,  stood  and  wept  when 
he  beheld  its  desolation.  Farther  on  are  the  walls  of  an- 
other Church  of  the  same  description,  whose  interior  is  filled 

1  For  a  description  of  one  of  these  mosques,  see  Narrative  of  a  Tour, 
Vol.  II.  Chap.  24,  (p.  298  Am.  Ed.)  There  is  a  mosque  of  the  same 
kind  in  Constantinople. 

9* 


190  VISIT    TO    THE 

with  wild  fig  trees,  and  I  was  told  that  there  were  two  or  three 
others,  which  I  did  not  visit. 

Beyond  that  last  mentioned,  the  bottom  of  the  basin,  or 
valley,  terminates,  and  you  begin  to  ascend  the  hill-side 
opposite  the  opening.  On  this  hill  stands  the  Mussulman 
quarter,  a  miserable  hamlet  of  about  twenty-five  houses,  built 
of  stones  and  fragments  from  the  ancient  town.  To  the 
right,  or  Eastward,  ascends  a  ravine,  down  which  the  stream 
before-mentioned  flows.  Across  the  ravine  is  a  large  wall 
which  is  a  part  of  the  wall  of  the  town,  or  the  facade  of 
some  vast  building,  for  I  could  not  spare  time  to  examine 
it.  On  the  hill-side,  just  before  entering  the  Mussulman 
quarter,  are  ten  cisterns  in  a  row,  cut  out  of  the  solid  rock, 
and  arched  with  masonry  of  tile  and  mortar.  Each  cistern  is 
about  150  feet  long,  75  feet  deep,  and  15  or  20  feet  broad. 
Some  of  them  are  still  perfect,  and  have  the  arches  entire. 
Others  are  partly  or  wholly  ruined.  They  seem  evidently 
intended  to  supply  the  city  with  water  in  case  the  stream 
from  the  hills  should  be  cut  off. 

The  Christian  quarter  is  below,  near  the  bridge,  on  the 
left  as  you  enter,  the  little  Church  before  mentioned  stand- 
ing in  the  midst  of  it.  Here  also  is  another  ruin  which 
is  perhaps  the  most  curious  in  the  place.  It  is  now  called 
the  Dungeon.  It  consists  of  two  subterranean  apartments 
of  great  length  and  height,  opening  into  each  other.  We 
descended  by  a  dark  stair  way  and  surveyed  the  place  with 
a  torch,  conducted  by  the  Kiahya  of  the  quarter.  I  noticed 
little  to  record  excepting  the  size  and  solidity  of  the  struc- 
ture and  the  great  height  of  the  arches,  which  are,  as  in  the 
cisterns,  of  the  round  Roman  form.  From  one  of  the 
apartments  is  a  subterranean  passage  of  unknown  extent, 
but  which  may  perhaps  have  led  to  some  other  apartments. 
There  were  also  recesses  in  the  walls,  which  seemed  to  be 
intended  for  seats.  The  people  say  that  treasure  has  been 
found  here,  but  I  was  disposed  to  regard  the  whole  as  a  part 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  191 

of  some  royal  Scrdab,1  or  summer  apartments.  Immediate- 
ly over  these  apartments,  are  traces  of  a  large  building  with 
a  portion  of  a  wall  still  standing,  which  the  people  call  the 
Palace.  I  noticed  upon  the  wall  an  inscription,  which  was 
either  too  far  up  or  too  indistinct  to  be  made  out. 

These  are  the  principal  remains  which  I  saw,  besides 
many  traces  of  foundations  and  fragments  of  wall.  •  On 
every  side  are  huge  blocks  of  stone,  some  of  them  from 
eight  to  ten  feet  long,  by  three  and  four  feet  in  the  other  di- 
mensions. These  lie  scattered  aJl  about,  as  if  they  had 
been  thrown  down  by  the  hand  of  violence  or  the  shock  of 
an  earthquake.  The  Governor  gave  me  a  most  kind  recep- 
tion, and  sent  a  man  with  me  to  survey  the  ruins.  As  soon 
as  we  returned  to  the  house,  I  mounted.  My  wish  had  been 
to  reach  the  monastery  by  striking  across  the  mountains 
North  of  the  town,  but  the  Governor  told  me  that  they  were 
impassable  on  account  of  the  bad  state  of  the  Kurds,  and  I 
contented  myself  with  the  road  to  Kherin,  leading  along  the 
base  of  the  hills,  with  the  desert  on  the  left.  This,  the 
Governor  said,  I  might  or  might  not  get  over  in  safety.  As 
we  emerged  from  the  town,  which  we  did  by  going  over  the 
hills  which  form  the  Westerly  barrier,  instead  of  going 
round  by  the  opening,  we  continued  to  pass  for  half  an 
hour,  subterranean  chambers  and  graves  cut  out  of  the 
rock.  Here  was,  then,  the  burying-place  of  the  city,  appa- 
rently without  the  walls.  The  chambers,  which  were  small 
apartments  with  single  low  doors,  were  evidently  tombs,  but 
nothing  remained  within.  Beyond  these,  and  after  we  had 
come  down  into  the  desert,  we  passed  several  places  where 
the  rocks  were  cut  down  and  levelled  so  as  to  form  appa- 
rently foundations  for  buildings,  which  may  have  been 

1  Serdab — a  suite  of  apartments  below  the  surface  of  the  earth,  in- 
tended for  summer  residence.  The  houses  in  Bagdad  and  Mossoul  are 
generally  provided  with  them. 


192  VISIT    TO    THE 

country-houses  looking  out  upon  the  desert,  at  that  time, 
perhaps,  a  cultivated  field.  Our  road  lay  over  the  uneven 
ground  which  runs  into  the  plain,  and  although  our  horses, 
bad  at  the  best,  were  now  tired  and  broken  down,  we  suc- 
ceeded in  putting  them  into  a  gallop,  and  scampered  over  the 
ground  as  if  the  Kurds  were  upon  us.  I  make  it  a  rule  in 
such  countries  to  have  my  baggage  so  light  and  well  packed 
that  a  horse  can  run  with  it  even  more  easily  than  with  a 
rider.  In  two  hours  we  had  passed  the  dangerous  ground, 
and  were  on  the  main  road  from  Nisibin  to  Kherin,  which 
soon  brought  us  to  the  latter  village,  where  my  old  host  re- 
ceived me  with  hearty  greetings,  and  provided  me  with  a  bed 
upon  his  roof.  All  the  villagers  were  old  acquaintances,  but 
some  of  them  took  advantage  of  our  familiarity  to  carry  off 
the  crupper  to  my  saddle  and  several  other  little  articles  in 
the  night.  In  the  morning  every  body  was  innocent,  and  I 
was  fain  to  get  away  with  the  useful  lesson,  not  to  be  on  too 
good  terms  with  people  who  do  not  understand  kindness 
except  as  affording  them  an  opportunity  to  take  advantage 
of  it  for  their  own  profit. 

June  30.  We  left  at  a  quarter  past  five,  and  instead  of 
the  road  to  Mardin,  took  another  less  beaten,  which  led  to 
the  Northeast,  towards  the  hills  where  Zafran  was  visible. 
As  we  rode  along,  my  thoughts  were  filled,  as  they  had  been 
during  our  gallop  yesterday,  with  contemplations  of  the  pros- 
pect before  me,  and  many  a  prayer  went  up  for  blessings 
upon  my  work.  After  crossing  the  plain  we  entered  a  valley, 
or  gorge,  and  wound  our  way  up  among  the  hills  by  a  rocky 
path,  until  we  came  again  in  sight  of  the  monastery,  stand- 
ing in  a  commanding  position  on  an  eminence,  surrounded, 
at  some  distance,  by  lofty  and  precipitous  crags  towering  far 
above  it  and  enclosing  it  on  every  side,  except  that  towards 
the  desert,  where  the  view  opened  and  disclosed  an  exten- 
sive prospect  beyond.  The  hill  sides  below  the  crags  and 
around  the  monastery  were  covered  with  cultivation.  Vine- 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  193 

yards,  orchards  and  fields  appeared  all  around,  and  nearer 
the  monastery  a  garden,  spread  out  in  terraces  on  the  de- 
clivity, covered  with  vegetable  plats  and  fruit  trees,  and 
watered  by  a  stream  issuing  from  the  hills  behind.  The 
front  of  the  monastery  was  towards  the  desert,  but  our  mode 
of  approach  brought  us  to  the  rear,  and  then  led  us  around 
its  walls  till  we  came  to  the  front,  which  presented  no  open- 
ing through  its  whole  extent  but  a  low  iron-sheathed  door. 
Our  guide  advanced,  pushed  it  open,  and  we  rode  in  under 
a  dark  arched  way,  and  dismounted  in  the  court  at  a  quarter 
past  eight,  just  three  hours  from  Kherin. 


194 


VISIT    TO    THE 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

Reception  at  Der  Zafran. — Interview  with  the  Patriarch. — Bishop  Mat- 
thew.— Second  Interview. — Abyssinian  Monk. — Syrian  Monasteries. — 
Schools. — Hours  of  Prayers. — Fasts. — Clerical  Celibacy. — Sunday  Ser- 
vice.— Picture  Worship. — Compline- — Vespers. 

THE  old  porter  growled  as  the  guide  pushed  open  the 
heavy  door  of  Der  Zafran,  and  told  him  that  a  guest  had 
arrived.  "Why  do  you  bring  your  guests  here?"  was  the 
first  salutation  which  I  had  at  the  venerable  monastery  of 
the  Syrian  Patriarchs.  I  did  not  mind  it,  for  I  had  heard 
of  gruff  old  porters  before,  but  made  my  way  quietly  into 
the  court,  and  directing  the  old  man  to  hold  my  horse  while 
I  dismounted,  asked  if  Mar  Elias  was  at  the  monastery. 
The  old  man  began  to  guess  his  mistake,  and  became  offi- 
cious and  loquacious  at  once.  Yes,  Mar  Elias  was  there, 
and  Mar  John,  and  several  other  Mars  of  whom  I  never 
heard  afterwards.  I  was  then  guided  through  a  narrow 
passage  into  another  court,  around  which  stood  the  principal 
buildings  of  the  monastery.  The  court  was  paved  with 
large  slabs,  some  of  which  were  dislodged  from  their  places, 
and  others  had  disappeared  altogether.  The  buildings  about 
the  court  presented  rather  a  ruinous  appearance,  but  I  sup- 
posed it  to  be  only  the  venerable  aspect  of  age.  A  portico 
of  arches  supported  by  stone  pillars,  ran  round  three  sides 
of  the  court,  and  underneath  this  portico  was  a  wooden 
frame  sustaining  a  platform  about  three  feet  high,  on  which 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  195 

a  carpet  and  cushions  were  arranged.  Here  I  took  my 
seat,  and  calling  a  servant,  requested  him  to  announce  to 
the  Patriarch  that  a  Frank  had  arrived,  and  wished  permis- 
sion to  see  him.  He  soon  returned,  and  immediately  con- 
ducted me  up  a  flight  of  stairs  to  the  terrace  above  the  por- 
tico, and  across  this  to  an  apartment  on  the  opposite  side. 
He  opened  the  door,  and  I  immediately  recognized  the 
venerable  face  and  beard  which  I  had  seen  more  than  three 
years  before  in  Constantinople.  The  Patriarch  was  sitting 
at  the  farther  end  of  a  long  apartment,  but  change  of  dress 
and  travel  had  so  completely  altered  my  appearance,  that 
he  did  not  at  first  recognize  me.  I  advanced,  dropped  on 
one  knee  and  kissed  his  hand,  after  which,  rising  and  re- 
treating a  few  paces,  I  drew  forth  the  packet  from  Mossoul, 
approached  and  presented  it.  The  Patriarch  beckoned  me 
to  a  seat  opposite,  and  when  he  had  read  the  address  on  the 
envelope,  looketl  towards  me,  and  laying  his  hand  on  his 
heart,  bade  me  welcome.  He  then  opened  the  packet,  and 
was  soon  absorbed  in  reading  the  epistles.  I  could  perceive 
no  change  in  his  countenance  as  he  read,  although  I  knew 
the  letters  contained  much  which  might  draw  a  sigh  even 
from  the  heart  of  a  stranger.  He  preserved  through  the 
whole  the  same  calm  and  placid  serenity  with  which  he 
began,  and  when  he  had  finished,  which  was  not  till  half  an 
hour  had  elapsed,  he  folded  them  again,  and  thrust  them  un- 
der his  carpet  amidst  a  multitude  of  other  epistles  and  papers. 
I  thought  he  looked  even  more  hale  and  cheerful  than  when 
I  saw  him  in  Constantinople,  and  he  immediately  entered 
into  pleasant  conversation.  As  soon  as  propriety  allowed,  I 
asked  leave  to  retire,  and  the  Patriarch  sent  a  servant  to 
prepare  a  room  for  me,  which  proved  to  be  one  of  the  little 
chambers  of  the  monks  close  to  his  own.  Soon  after  I  en- 
tered it,  the  Patriarch  sent  in  a  delicious  breakfast  of  eggs, 
cream,  milk,  and  fruits.  When  this  was  finished,  I  sent  for 
one  of  the  fraternity  who  was  the  barber  of  the  monastery, 


196 


VISIT    TO    THE 


and  submitted  my  beard,  of  a  week's  growth,  to  his  hand- 
ling. Though  somewhat  of  the  rudest,  it  was  very  kindly 
intended.  His  razor  was  a  piece  of  iron,  thrust  longitu- 
dinally into  a  stick  for  a  handle,  and  kept  in  its  place  by  a 
bit  of  cord  bound  round  the  wood  close  to  the  blade.  Its 
mode  of  operation  seemed  to  be  rather  by  pulling  out  than 
cutting  off.  During  the  exercise  of  its  office,  I  shed  many 
involuntary  tears,  but  felt  bound  to  submit  when  I  heard 
that  the  Patriarch  and  all  the  brotherhood  were  shaved  with 
the  same.  After  this,  I  laid  down,  and  weary  with  the  fa- 
tigues of  my  journey,  in  which,  for  a  week,  from  heat  by  day 
and  fleas  by  night,  I  had  hardly  slept  at  all,  reposed  quietly 
till  evening. 

I  was  no  sooner  awake  than  Mutran  Mattai,  (Bishop 
Matthew,)  one  of  the  residents  of  the  monastery,  came  in. 
He  is  an  assistant  of  the  Patriarch, and  performs  the  Epis- 
copal duties  of  Mardin  and  the  adjacent  villages.  /The  Pa- 
triarch usually  has  two  or  three  such  assistants  resident  with 
him,  who  relieve  him  of  many  of  his  minor  cares.  Bishop 
Matthew  on  this  occasion  gave  me  a  long  account  of  Der 
Zafran,  a  building  which  has  been  famous  for  ages  as  the 
residence  of  the  Syrian  Patriarchs.  It  is  now,  he  said, 
1043  years  since  the  place  was  purchased  from  the  Greeks 
by  Mar  Ananias,  Bishop  of  Jezireh.  It  was  then  a  fortress, 
but  the  old  Church,  in  which  the  monks  still  worship,  was 
standing  at  that  time.  Mar  Ananias  converted  the  whole 
into  a  monastery,  extended  the  walls,  and  erected  cells  for 
the  monks.  An  outer  wall  enclosed  the  whole  ground, 
which  is  now  improved  as  a  garden,  and  covers  several  acres, 
and  the  monastery  itself  was  of  twice  the  extent  that  it  now 
is.  The  old  Church  and  the  monastery  took  the  name  of  its 
founder,  and  hence  we  often  see  it  called  in  history,  the 
Monastery  of  St.  Ananias.  At  the  same  time  it  received 
the  appellation  of  Zafran  from  a  singular  circumstance, 
which  the  Bishop  related  as  follows  :  A  Persian  merchant 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  197 

of  great  wealth  loaded  a  large  caravan  with  the  article  called 
Zafran,  (Anglice,  Saffron,)  and  intrusting  it  to  one  of  his 
servants,  told  him  to  travel  with  it  until  he  found  a  man  rich 
enough  to  buy  the  whole  ;  and  if  he  did  not  succeed  in 
finding  such  a  person,  to  return  with  it  unsold.  The  ser- 
vant departed,  and  travelling  hither  and  thither  for  several 
months,  sought  in  vain  for  a  purchaser.  At  length  chance 
led  him  to  the  spot  where  Mar  Ananias  was  engaged  in 
building  his  monastery.  The  servant  offered  his  article, 
and  when  Mar  Ananias  heard  of  the  vain  boast  of  the  Per- 
sian, he  bought  the  whole,  and  to  show  his  indifference  to 
riches,  mixed  it  with  the  mortar  employed  in  the  building. 
If  he  had  endowed  it  with  the  same  sum,  it  would  have  been 
better  for  the  present  generation.  Nevertheless  the  monas- 
tery hence  took  the  name  of  Dcr  Zafran,1  by  which  it  is 
commonly  known  at  the.  present  day.  It  has  been  twice  oc- 
cupied by  the  Kurds,  who  held  it  at  one  time  forty  years,  and 
at  another  ten.  It  was  only  about  five  years  ago  that  it  was 
rescued  the  second  time.  While  it  was  in  their  hands  it 
went  rapidly  to  decay,  and  when  it  was  restored,  was  little 
better  than  a  ruin.  The  Patriarch  repaired  it  so  far  as  his 
means  would  allow,  but  it  is  still  in  a  very  dilapidated  con- 
dition. The  buildings  round  the  inner  court,  are  the  Church 
of  St.  Ananias,  and  the  Chapel  of  St.  Mary,  on  the  East,  and 
on  the  other  sides  the  kitchen,  servants'  apartments,  and  two 
ranges  of  cells.  These  last  are  small  vaulted  rooms,  some 
20  feet  by  10.  In  the  upper  story,  which  looks  upon  the  ter- 
race, are  the  Chapel  of  St.  Peter,  the  Patriarch's  apartment, 
and  another  range  of  cells.  The  terrace,  or  gallery,  is  faced  by 
a  heavy  balustrade  of  stone,  and  the  whole  building  is  of  the 
same,  a  light  yellow  porous  stone,  roughly  hewn.  The  Church 
of  St.  Ananias  is  the  only  part  of  the  building  which  has  any 
pretensions  to  architectural  ornament.  In  this  there  is  some 
sculptured  work  upon  the  cornices,  and  around  the  old  Ro- 

1  Literally,  Saffron  Monastery. 


198  VISIT    TO    THE 

man  windows.  On  .the  outer  court,  which  I  first  entered, 
are  the  porter's,  gardener's,  and  shepherd's  apartments,  the 
sheepfolds,  granary,  and  stable. 

Being  now  fairly  introduced  to  the  monastery,  I  will  spare 
the  reader  the  long  detail  of  all  that  occurred  there  during 
the  two  weeks  of  my  stay,  and  present  only  a  few  sketches 
of  scenes  and  events  which  will  show  the  life  that  I  led. 
The  evening  of  my  arrival,  the  Patriarch  sent  for  me,  and  I 
spent  an  hour  with  him  in  conversation.  The  next  day  I 
made  a  more  formal  visit,  and  discussed  with  him  many  mat- 
ters of  interest  relating  to  my  mission.  He  gave  me  a  long 
account  of  the  state  of  his  Church,  and  told  me  that  the 
last  autumn  a  messenger  had  arrived  from  India  with  letters 
from  the  Malabar  Christians,1  requesting  that  a  Metropolitan 
might  be  sent  to  them  to  preserve  their  Episcopal  succes. 
sion. 

The  Patriarch  made  particular  inquiries  with  regard  to 
the  Church  in  England  and  the  United  States,  and  especially 
about  the  constitution  of  its  ministry,  seeking  to  ascertain 
whether  it  had  the  three  Apostolic  Orders,  and  whether  the 
power  of  ordination  was  vested  exclusively  in  the  Bishops. 
My  explanation,  which  he  afterwards  confirmed  by  an  ex- 
amination of  the  Prayer  Book,  was  entirely  satisfactory,  and 
seemed  to  afford  him  unmingled  gratification.  He  said  that 
he  regarded  these  three  orders  as  essential  to  a  right  con- 
stitution of  the  ministry,  and  that  they  must  be  derived  from 
the  Apostles  in  regular  succession.  All  other  orders,  such 
as  Archbishops,  Archdeacons  (Ckor-cpiscopi),  Subdeacons, 
&c.,  were  merely  subdivisions  of  these,  for  the  sake  of  con- 
venience in  the  government  of  the  Church.  We  talked  also 
of  liturgies,  and  he  showed  me  a  volume  somewhat  larger 
than  our  Prayer  Book,  which  he  said  was  intended  to  be 
used  by  the  worshipper  in  private.  No  Church,  he  affirmed, 

9  The  Syrian  Church  of  Hindustan,  visited  and  described  by  Buchan- 
an. See  his  Researches. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  199 

was  so  rich  in  liturgical  forms  as  the  Syrian,  and  he  spoke 
with  glowing  eyes  of  Ephrem  and  James,  and  other  worthies 
of  ancient  days.  Another  work  that  he  showed  me,  was  a 
large  folio  volume  of  Church  Annals,  which,  he  said,  had 
been  kept  from  the  earliest  ages  by  the  Patriarchs.  It  was 
formerly  written  in  Syriac,  but  a  copy  was  afterwards  made 
in  Karshoni,1  or  Syro-Arabic,  in  which  language  it  had  ever 
since  been  written.  The  original,  he  said,  was  still  exist- 
ing in  Syria,  besides  which,  this  which  he  showed  me  was 
the  only  copy  in  the  world.  It  is  always  kept  by  the  Patri- 
arch, and  the  records  are  made  as  the  events  occur.  He 
opened  it  and  read  from  it  a  history  of  persecutions  endured 
by  the  Monophysites  after  the  Council  of  Chalcedon.  I 
saw  that  he  had  reference  to  the  difference  between  us,  for 
I  had  already  shown  him  a  copy  of  the  Arabic  translation  of 
the  Prayer  Book  in  which  the  Second  Article2  had  arrested 
his  attention,  but  before  we  could  enter  upon  the  subject 
we  were  interrupted  by  persons  on  business,  and  I  retired. 

The  same  day  arrived  a  monk  from  Abyssinia.  Four 
years  had  passed  since  he  left  his  country,  and  in  the  mean 
time  he  had  been  a  wanderer  in  Egypt  and  Syria.  He  had 
brought  no  letters  from  his  Church,  and  the  Patriarch  hesi- 
tated for  a  time  to  receive  him,  saying  that  the  practice  of 
the  Churches  from  time  immemorial,  had  been,  that  when  a 
Christian  went  into  a  foreign  country,  he  carried  with  him 
commendatory  epistles  from  his  Bishop,  or  the  Patriarch. 
He  finally,  however,  suffered  him  to  occupy  a  room  in  the 
monastery,  but  could  not  be  persuaded  to  look  upon  him 
with  complacency.  "  How  do  I  know,"  he  said,  "  but  that 
he  has  been  excommunicated,  or  has  committed  some  great 
sin,  or  how  can  I  be  sure  that  he  is  a  Christian  at  all  ?"3 

1  Arabic  written   in   Syriac  characters.     Such  books   are  common 
among  the  Syrians,  and  are  the  most  easily  read  by  them. 

2  Of  the  Word,  or  Son  of  God,  which  was  made  very  man. 

3  To  show  that  the  Patriarch  reasoned  wisely,  I  may  say  that  since 


200  VISIT    TO    THE 

The  monk  was  black,  but  well-featured.  He  came  into  my 
room  in  the  afternoon  and  spent  an  hour  with  me,  but  I  was 
soon  weary  of  him.  He  seemed  to  be  a  compound  of  self- 
conceit  and  nonsense,  having  gathered  a  smattering  of  va- 
rious small  things  in  his  travels,  which  he  appeared  to 
imagine  made  him  the  possessor  of  all  knowledge.  For 
example,  he  began  to  edify  the  monks  and  others  who  had 
gathered  around  me,  with  an  account  of  the  English  Church. 
The  English,  he  said,  are  divided  into  three  classes,  Church- 
men, Lutherans,  and  Free  Masons.  I  denied  it,  and  he 
said  he  knew  better  than  I.  He  proceeded,  "  Neither  of 
these  use  the  sign  of  the  cross."  I  instanced  Baptism  in 
the  English  Church,  and  he  said  I  was  mistaken.  I  told 
him  that  I  was  a  priest,  and  had  never  baptized  without  it. 
He  said  he  knew  better  than  I;  whereupon  I  gave  him  up 
as  impracticable.  He  then  turned  to  my  servant,  and  find- 
ing that  he  was  a  Greek,  began  upon  the  nature  of  Christ. 
Basil  replied  that  all  that  he  knew  was  that  there  are  three, 
the  Father,  the  Son,  and  St.  Mary !  The  Syrians  all  start, 
ed  up  with  astonishment  at  this  exposition  of  doctrine,  and 
exclaimed,  "  Do  you  put  St.  Mary  in  the  place  of  the  Blessed 
Spirit?"  I  put  some  questions  to  Basil,  and  found  that  he 
did  not  so  much  as  know  that  there  was  any  Holy  Ghost.  I 
was  surprised  at  his  ignorance,  having  often  conversed  in  a 
serious  manner  with  him  on  the  journey ;  but  it  had  never 
entered  my  mind  to  suspect  that  he  was  ignorant  of  the 
prime  articles  of  the  Christian  faith.  He  could  repeat  his 
Creed  word  for  word,  but  being  in  the  ancient  language,  he 
understood  nothing  of  it.  And  yet  this  servant  was  devout 
in  his  way.  He  said  his  prayers  every  night,  and  when  at 

my  visit  to  the  monastery,  a  man,  without  letters  commendatory,  but  pro- 
fessing to  be  a  Christian,  came  and  spent  several  days  there,  and  at  the 
end  of  this  time  ran  away  in  the  night,  taking  with  him  all  the  sacred 
vessels  from  the  altar  of  St.  Annnins.  It  was  afterwards  ascertained  that 
he  was  a  Mussulman. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  201 

home  went  to  Church,  kissed  the  pictures,  confessed,  re- 
ceived the  Sacrament — and  was  content.  What  a  dreadful 
responsibility  that  of  the  priest  who  is  the  blind  leader  of 
such  blind  men  !  The  monk,  finding  that  he  was  no  fit  sub- 
ject for  theological  discussion,  fell  to  disputing  with  the 
Syrians,  whether  the  sign  of  the  cross  should  be  made  with 
the  thumb  and  forefinger,  as  they  make  it,  or  with  the 
thumb  alone,  as  the  Abyssinians  practice.  All  his  efforts  to 
raise  a  discussion,  were  unavailing.  The  Syrians  would 
not  acknowledge  that  it  was  of  any  importance  whether  it 
was  made  in  the  one  way  or  the  other ;  and  the  monk,  smi- 
ling complacently  at  having  silenced  us  all,  left  the  room. 
The  Patriarch  was  seriously  offended  when  he  afterwards 
heard  from  a  servant  who  was  present,  that  the  Abyssinian 
had  been  disputing  with  me  about  religious  matters,  and 
wished  to  know  how  he  had  ventured  to  take  such  liberties 
as  he  did  in  the  discussion. 

Bishop  Matthew  came  in  twice  during  the  day,  and  I 
had  with  him  much  conversation  of  a  more  profitable  char- 
acter upon  the  state  of  his  Church.  In  the  evening  he 
gave  me  a  list  of  all  the  Bishoprics,  with  the  names  of  the 
present  incumbents,  from  which  I  learned  that  there  were 
only  twelve  with  dioceses,  and  less  than  twenty  in  all.  How 
different  this  from  the  ancient  glory  of  the  Church,  when 
they  had  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine  l  Bishops  in  these  re- 
gions !  Of  the  twenty-one  monasteries,  where  Bishops  were 
formerly  resident,  only  two  are  now  occupied  at  all,  and  one 
of  these  is  the  Patriarchal  monastery  of  Zafran.  The  other 
is  the  monastery  of  St.  Mary  Magdalen,  at  Jerusalem.  Sev- 
eral of  the  present  Bishops,  however,  reside  in  monasteries 
which  are  not  included  in  the  ancient  list,  and,  besides 
these,  there  is  an  immense  number  deserted  or  in  ruins, 
and  a  few  in  the  hands  of  the  Papists.  Formerly  the 

* 
1  The  number  given  by  Asseman,  on  the  authority  of  ancient  writers. 


202  VISIT    TO    THE 

% 

mountains  of  Tour l  were  filled  with  monasteries,  like 
Mount  Athos  in  Greece.  There  were  also  a  few  nun- 
neries. The  ruins  of  one  are  to  be  seen  not  far  from  Der 
Zafran ;  but  at  the  present  day,  nuns  are,  I  believe,  entirely 
unknown  among  the  Syrians. 

There  were,  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  twenty-five  monks 
belonging  to  the  monastery  of  Zafran,  but  only  five  of  them 
were  resident;  the  rest  were  scattered  in  the  villages,  per- 
forming the  duties  of  priests  in  vacant  parishes.  Of  the  five 
remaining,  one  only  was  a  priest,  the  rest  deacons  and  lay 
brethren.  They  were  all  employed  in  teaching.  Each  of 
the  five  had  a  class  of  five  boys,  (twenty-five  in  all,)  who  had 
been  gathered  from  different  and  some  of  them  from  dis- 
tant places,  for  instruction.  They  were  taught  and  main- 
tained at  the.  expense  of  the  monastery.  The  origin  of  the 
school  was  in  this  manner:  When  the  Patriarch  was  in 
Constantinople  in  1838,  the  Armenian  Patriarch  expostu- 
lated with  him  on  the  state  of  the  nation,  and  among  other 
things  said  to  him,  that  a  people  without  schools  must  in- 
evitably decline.  The  remark  sunk  deep  into  the  mind  of 
the  Patriarch,  and  was  never  forgotten.  On  his  journey 
home,  he  visited  most  of  the  places  where  Syrians  are  to  be 
found,  and  in  every  place  established  a  school.  They  are 
of  course  on  a  very  humble  scale.  That  in  the  monastery, 
which  was  intended  to  be  of  a  higher  order  than  the  others, 
provides  instruction  in  ancient  Syriac,  Arabic,  and  penman- 
ship, but  the  first  is  very  imperfectly  taught  from  want  of 
good  teachers  and  text-books,  and  the  whole  is  not  suffi- 
cient to  supply  the  first  rudiments  of  knowledge.  Neither 
of  the  languages  is  taught  grammatically.  The  pupil  first 

1  I  will  here  say  that  the  names  Jebel  Tour,  and  Tour  Dagh,  com- 
monly given  to  these  mountains,  both  imply  a  tautology.  Jebel  (Arabic), 
Da?h  (Turkish),  and  Tour  (Syriac),  each  mean  in  their  respective  lan- 
guages, Mountain.  The  old  and  proper  name  is  Tour  Abdin,  or  Moun- 
tain of  Recluses. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  203 

learns  to  repeat  the  words,  which  in  plain  Arabic  compo- 
sition he  understands,  because  it  is  the  vernacular  tongue, 
but  in  Syriac  he  knows  nothing  of.  He  repeats  them  by 
rote,  as  a  parrot  talks,  and  in  some  instances  afterwards 
learns  a  little  of  the  meaning;  but,  in  general,  his  own 
language  is  an  unknown  tongue  to  him.  He  is  thus  ena- 
bled to  join  in  the  services  of  his  Church,  and  can  repeat 
the  Creed,  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the  Trisagion,  and  some  other 
portions  of  the  services,  from  memory. 

The  time  which  the  monks  do  not  spend  in  instruction 
is  set  apart  for  devotion.  For  this  purpose,  the  Seven  Hours 
of  Prayer  are  observed,  viz.  Matins,  at  dawn;  the  Third 
Hour ;  the  Sixth  Hour,  at  noon ;  the  Ninth  Hour,  three 
hours  before  sunset;  the  Vespers,  at  sundown;  the  Comp- 
line, or  Evening  Service,  two  hours  after  sundown  ;  and  the 
Vigils,  at  midnight.  These  hours  are  regulated  (excepting 
the  Sixth,  which  is  always  at  noon,  and  the  Vigils,  which 
are  always  at  midnight,)  by  the  rising  and  setting  of  the 
sun.  Thus,  the  day  beginning  at  sunset,  the  Third  Hour 
is  the  fifteenth  from  that  time,  or  three  o'clock  A.  M.  East- 
ern time.  At  this  season,  the  sun  set  about  half  past  seven 
of  our  time,  and  half  past  seven  in  the  morning  is  twelve 
o'clock.  The  Third  Hour  was  therefore  half  past  ten 
A.  M.,  and  on  this  account,  the  Prayers  for  that  hour  were 
said  at  Noon.  The  arrangement  of  the  Prayers  was  based 
upon  an  equal  division  of  the. day  and  night,  which  occurs, 
however,  only  at  the  equinoxes,  when  the  Third,  the  Sixth, 
and  the  Ninth  Hours  are  nine  A.  M.,  noon,  and  three  P.  M., 
respectively.  The  custom  in  the  monastery  was  to  combine 
the  Matins  with  the  Services  of  the  Church,  which  occur 
at  the  same  hour,  and  the  Prayers  of  the  Ninth  Hour  with 
the  Evening  Service,  occurring  at  ten  o'clock,  or  two  hours 
before  sunset.  The  Prayers  for  the  Sixth  Hour  and  Sunset 
were  said  at  the  door  of  the  Church,  under  the  piazza ;  the 
Compline  in  the  little  Chapel  of  St.  Mary,  and  the  Midnight 


204  VISIT    TO    THE 

Prayers  by  every  monk  in  his  room.  There  was  something 
in  the  associations  of  the  hour  which  rendered  these  last  pe- 
culiarly impressive  to  me.  In  the  dead  of  night,  when  no 
sound  was  heard  and  all  nature  was  sleeping  around,  here 
and  there,  from  the  door  of  each  cell,  a  light  began  to 
twinkle,  and  presently,  where  each  light  appeared,  the  voice 
of  prayer  began  to  rise,  solemn  and  slow.  It  seemed  as  if 
it  possessed  more  power  at  this  silent  season.  There  was 
no  sound  of  earth  to  interrupt  it ;  the  mind  had  rested  from 
the  cares  of  the  day,  and  there  were  no  moving  objects  or 
glaring  sunlight  to  distract  it.  It  seemed  as  if  it  must  be 
more  concentrated  upon  itself,  more  easily  turned  to  Heaven, 
more  free  and  pure  in  its  aspirations.  I  thought  of  the  com- 
ing of  the  bridegroom.  "  While  the  bridegroom  tarried, 
they  all  slumbered  and  slept.  And  at  midnight  there  was  a 
cry  made,  Behold,  the  bridegroom  cometh ;  go  ye  out  to 
meet  him.  Then  all  those  virgins  arose  and  trimmed  their 
lamps."1  I  remembered  too  the  words  of  the  Saviour, 
"  Watch,  therefore,  for  ye  know  neither  the  day  nor  the 
hour  wherein  the  Son  of  man  cometh."2  "  Take  heed, 
watch  and  pray ;  for  ye  know  not  when  the  time  is.  For 
the  Son  of  man  is  as  one  taking  a  far  journey,  who  left  his 
house,  and  gave  authority  to  his  servants,  and  to  every  man 
his  work,  and  commanded  the  porter  to  watch.  Watch  ye, 
therefore,  for  ye  know  not  when  the  master  of  the  house 
will  come,  at  even,  or  at  midnight,  or  at  the  cock-crowing, 
or  in  the  morning :  lest  if  he  come  suddenly,  he  find  you 
sleeping.  And  what  I  say  unto  you,  I  say  unto  all,  Watch."3 
Friday,  July  2.  The  whole  convent  is  at  present  keep- 
ing the  Fast  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  which  began  on  Mon- 
day and  continues  thirteen  days.  Upon  due  consideration, 
I  have  felt  it  to  be  my  duty  not  to  join  in  the  observance, 
my  own  Church  not  being  in  communion  with  the  Syrian, 

1  Mat.  xxv.  5,  6,  7.       8  Mat.  xxv.  13.        3  Mark  xiii.  33-37. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  205 

and  it  being  no  design  of  mine  to  act  as  if  such  communion 
were  existing.  Were  it  otherwise,  there  would  seem  to  be 
no  reason  for  doubt,  inasmuch  as  such  conformity  accords 
with  ancient  usage  and  with  Apostolical  precepts.  As  it  is, 
it  seems  plainly  the  course  of  duty  to  adhere  to  the  customs 
of  the  Church  to  which  I  belong ;  and  I  find,  on  conversing 
with  the  monks,  that  they  regard  it  as  a  matter  of  course 
that  I  should  do  so.  I  have  determined,  therefore,  to  keep 
the  regular  fasts  of  my  Church,  as  it  has  been  my  custom  to 
do,  and  to  go  no  farther.  As  to  the  general  propriety  and 
duty  of  fasting,  there  can  be  no  question ;  and  the  Church 
has  wisely  guarded  against  its  neglect,  by  appointing  times 
and  seasons  for  it,  which  are  all  most  appropriate  to  the 
duty.  The  duty  being  plain,  no  better  mode  of  its  observ- 
ance can  be  devised,  than  to  adopt  the  days  appointed  by 
the  Church,  especially  when  we  reflect  that  by  acting  oth- 
erwise, we  not  only  "  offend  against  the  common  order"  of 
the  Church ;  (the  lawfulness  of  which  in  the  sight  of  God 
may  well  be  doubted,)  but  are  almost  sure  to  neglect  the 
duty  altogether.  Would  we  but  rightly  perform  it,  we 
should  find  that  it  would  add  new  vigor  to  our  faith,  give 
new  power  to  prayer,  and  increase  within  us  all  the  graces 
of  the  Spirit. 

These  thoughts  were  suggested  by  the  return  of  the  weekly 
fast.  As  I  am  seldom  alone  in  my  own  room,  the  Patriarch 
had  given  me,  for  my  private  use,  the  key  of  the  Chapel  of 
St.  Peter,  in  which  no  services  are  at  present  performed. 
There  I  have  spent  a  considerable  portion  of  the  day.  May 
the  prayers  offered  in  weakness,  descend  in  blessings  upon 
this  desolated  heritage,  and  upon  my  own  fondly  remembered 
Zion,  which 

In  distance,  ever  true,  I  love, 
And  at  her  altars  pray  once  more  to  stand. 

During  the  day,  one  of  the  monks  came  in  and  opened  a 
10 


206  VISIT    TO    THE 

conversation  on  the  marriage  of  our  clergy.  I  contented 
myself  with  stating  the  grounds  upon  which  we  hold  the 
marriage  of  a  Bishop  to  be  lawful,  (to  which,  being  based  on 
Scripture  and  primitive  evidence,  he  had  nothing  to  object,) 
without  feeling  called  upon  to  attack  the  different  institu- 
tions of  his  own  Church  in  this  particular.  I  said,  more- 
over, that  if  I  were  a  clergyman  of  the  Syrian  Church,  I 
should  feel  in  duty  bound  to  obey  its  laws,  as  do  those  of 
its  own  clergy  and  even  of  its  Bishops,  who  are  convinced 
that  it  would  be  better  for  the  Church  if  the  present  restric- 
tion did  not  exist.1  I  thought  it,  however,  perfectly  con- 
sistent with  Christian  unity,  that  there  should  be,  in  this  and 
other  respects,  different  customs  in  different  branches  of  the 
Church  of  Christ.  Even  the  Church  of  Rome  follows  the 
same  principle,  and  notwithstanding  the  absolute  prohibition 
of  marriage  to  her  own  clergy,  had  not  insisted  upon  the 
same  as  a  term  of  communion  with  the  Eastern  Churches.2 
He  assented  to  the  truth  of  the  remark,  and  I  on  the  other 
hand  could  not  hesitate  to  condemn  the  conduct  of  a  Priest 
of  his  communion  who  had  lately  been  deposed  for  marry- 


1  As  I  shall  discuss  this  subject  at  length  hereafter.    I  will  here  merely 
add  that  in  the   Syrian  Church,  Priests  are  allowed  to  be  married,  but 
Bishops  not.     A  priest  may,  however,  become  a  Bishop  after  the  death  of 
his  wife.     Priests  are  generally  married  men,  and  such  are   always  pre- 
ferred for  parochial  cures. 

2  The  Chaldeans,  the  Papal  Syrians,  and  other  Eastern  Christians  in 
communion  with  the  Church  of  Rome,  still  retain  married  priests.     It 
ought,  however,  to  be  added  that  the  whole  influence  of  that  Church  is 
exened  to  bring  about  a  conformity  with  its  own  practice.     The  matter 
is  kept  in  reserve  until  union  is  effected,  and   then  gradually  brought  for- 
ward and  inculcated,  though  never  insisted  on  as  essential  to  union.     The 
effort  has  succeeded  in  some  parts  where  Papal  influence  is  strong  ;  for 
example,  among  the  Papal  Syrians  of  Aleppo.     In  this,  as  in  other  re- 
spects, the  Church  of  Rome  is  content  to  disseminate  her  own  peculiari- 
tir<,  while,  in  more  essential  matters,  she  leaves  the  Eastern  Christians  of 
her    ommunion  in  ignorance  and  degradation. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH. 


207 


ing  a  second  time.  If  he  were  opposed  to  the  law  he  ought 
not  to  have  entered  a  state  in  which  it  might  be  imposed 
upon  himself. 

Bishop  Matthew  came  in  for  a  short  time  in  the  evening, 
having  been  abroad  all  day  superintending  the  reapers  in  the 
fields.  It  seems  that  besides  the  produce  of  its  own  lands, 
the  monastery  receives  from  all  the  villages  between  Jezireh 
and  Mardin,  contributions  of  grain,  rice  and  other  produc- 
tions. It  has  also  a  few  villages  which  are  fiefs  of  the 
monastery.  Besides  all  this,  the  villagers  bring  in  presents 
of  fruits,  sheep,  and  every  thing  which  their  labor  provides. 
There  is  also  a  considerable  revenue  accruing  from  the  an- 
nual sale  of  the  meiron,  used  in  baptism,  which  can  be  pre- 
pared only  by  the  hands  of  the  Patriarch.  Yet  the  monastery 
is  far  from  being  rich,  what  it  receives  barely  sufficing  for  its 
own  support.  Its  revenues  had  suffered  considerably  during 
the  recent  famine. 

Sunday,  July  4.  I  was  present  this  morning  at  the 
services  in  the  Church  of  St.  Ananias,  which  commenced 
soon  after  day-dawn.  The  Patriarch  himself  was  the  prin- 
cipal officiator,  and  besides  him  were  one  priest,  two  dea- 
cons, and  five  or  six  afsalto,  or  singers,  who  were  all  boys. 
The  patriarch  wore  a  cope  of  richly  embroidered  stuff,  with 
a  capacious  hood  of  the  same,  which  last  was  drawn  over 
the  head  in  certain  parts  of  the  service,  but.  most  of  the 
time  was  thrown  back  upon  the  shoulders.  The  idea  of  it 
is  said  to  be  taken  from  that  of  Moses  covering  his  face 
when  he  communed  with  God  in  the  mount.  Besides  this 
was  a  broad  scarf  richly  decorated,  hanging  from  the  neck 
nearly  to  the  ground  in  front,  with  a  hole  by  which  it  is 
passed  over  the  head.  This  was  all  of  his  dress  which  was 
visible.  The  large  turbaned  cap  which  he  usually  wore, 
was  laid  aside,  and  nothing  remained  upon  his  head  but  the 
close  black  cap  checkered  with  white,  which  is  worn  by  the 


208  .  VISIT    TO    THE 

monks.  Seven  candles  were  burning  upon  the  altar,  on 
which,  besides  the  chalice  and  paten,  were  several  small 
metallic  plates  used  in  the  service,  which,  with  the  lights, 
were  arranged  upon  the  steps  ascending  from  the  altar. 
Pictures  were  hanging  in  different  parts  of  the  Church,  but 
all  of  them  in  an  elevated  position,  evidently  not  designed 
for  worship,  nor  were  any  of  them  so  used.  No  candles 
were  lighted  before  them,  nor  did  any  one  appear  to  notice 
them,  excepting  my  servant  Basil,  who  entered  with  me, 
and  after  seeking  in  vain  for  some  one  that  was  familiar  to 
him,  placed  himself,  at  length,  before  a  portrait  which  may 
have  been  intended  for  the  Virgin,  and  continued  for  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  bowing  and  crossing  himself  before  it, 
while  the  congregation  occasionally  turned  upon  him  an 
astonished  and  wondering  look.  The  congregation  consist- 
ed only  of  the  inmates  of  the  monastery  and  a  few  women 
from  the  city,  who  had  come  to  spend  the  day  at  the  monas- 
tery. As  there  was  no  separate  place  for  females  in  the 
Church,  they  stood  behind  the  rest  of  the  congregation, 
near  the  door,  Iremarked,  throughout,  the  great  attentiveness 
and  solemnity  of  the  congregation,  which  struck  me  the 
more  from  its  being  often  wanting  in  Eastern  Churches. 
Every  one,  as  he  entered,  bowed  thrice  towards  the  altar 
and  thrice  crossed  himself  in  honor  of  the  Holy  Trinity. 
The  priest's  garment  resembled  that  of  the  Patriarch,  but 
was  not  so  richly  decorated.  Those  of  the  deacons  were 
of  a  plain  white  material,  embroidered  in  a  simple  manner, 
and  each  deacon  wore  a  scarf,  which  was  hung  only  from 
one  shoulder,  in  the  same  manner  that  it  is  worn  by  dea- 
cons in  the  Greek  and  Armenian  Churches,  this  mode  of 
wearing  it  being  regarded  as  the  distinguishing  mark  of 
their  order.  The  singers  were  clothed  in  white  garments, 
and  stood  upon  the  right  of  the  altar,  as  you  look  towards  it. 
One  of  them  carried  cymbals,  and  two  others  circular  instru- 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  209 

ments  of  metal,  with  small  bells  attached,  and  elevated  by  a 
long  staff  passing  through  the  centre.  These  instruments 
were  played  in  certain  parts  of  the  service,  especially  at  the 
moment  of  Invocation.  The  deacons  stood  during  the  ser- 
vice, one  on  each  side  of  the  Patriarch,  and  a  little  behind 
him,  each  holding  a  crosier  of  ebony,  crested  by  a  handle 
of  alabaster.  The  communion  service  was  preceded  by  the 
morning  prayers  and  reading  the  Gospel,  after  which  the 
veil  was  lowered  for  a  short  time,  while  the  Holy  Table  was 
preparing.  The  whole  service  that  followed,  struck  me 
from  its  resemblance  to  the  ancient  forms,  especially  as  de- 
scribed by  Bingham.  Incense  was  used,  and  Prayer  was 
offered  for  the  Church  Militant,  for  Apostles,  Martyrs, 
Confessors,  Patriarchs,  Bishops,  and  all  Saints.  It  is  at  this 
part  of  the  service  that  commemoration  is  made  of  the  dead 
lately  departed,  when  it  is  requested  by  friends.  The  only 
requisition  necessary  is  that  he  have  died  in  the  Communion 
of  the  Church.  How  far  the  practice  is  removed  from  any 
recognition  of  Purgatory,  will  appear  in  another  place.  The 
elements  were  raised  after  consecration,  the  Patriarch  turn- 
ing to  the  congregation,  but  there  was  no  bowing  to  them 
by  the  people,  the  act  being  simply  an  invitation  or  call  to 
partake.  There  was  no  procession  with  them.  During  the 
service,  the  congregation  bowed  two  or  three  times,  and  the 
sign  of  the  cross  was  made  some  five  or  six  times.  The 
same  sign  was  made  over  the  elements  in  consecration, 
which  was  done  by  means  of  a  small  silver  cross  that  the 
Patriarch  held  in  his  hand.  The  Sacrament  was  adminis- 
tered to  two  or  three  of  the  clergy,  at  the  proper  time  of 
receiving  it ;  and  to  those  of  the  congregation  who  were  to 
partake,  after  the  service  was  ended.  The  same  is  the  cus- 
tom in  the  Greek  Church,  and  originated  in  a  day  when  the 
number  of  communicants  was  so  great  as  to  render  it  incon- 
venient to  administer  to  all  during  the  service.  I  noticed 
moreover  this  difference — that  it  was  given  to  the  clergy 


210  VISIT    TO    THE 

from  the  chalice  with  a  spoon,1 -while  to  the  people  were 
given,  with  the  hand,  morsels  of  the  consecrated  bread  which 
had  been  dipped  in  the  wine,  and  which  the  people  received 
from  the  hand  of  the  Patriarch  into  their  mouths.  This 
also  was  perceptible,  that  the  clergy  received  within  the 
veil,  which  was  lowered  for  the  purpose,  and  that  the  form 
of  words  accompanying  the  delivery,  were  not  said  to  the 
lay-communicants.  All  that  remained  in  the  chalice  after 
the  clergy  had  partaken,  was  carefully  eaten  and  drunk  by 
the  Patriarch,  the  morsels  for  the  people  having  been  at  the 
time  of  consecration  laid  upon  one  of  the  little  plates  which 
stood  upon  the  altar.  This,  when  the  service  was  ended, 
the  Patriarch  took  in  one  hand,  while  with  the  other  he  put 
one  of  the  pieces  into  the  mouth  of  each  of  the  communi- 
cants, who  received  it  standing — stooping  for  the  purpose. 
The  congregation  were  in  the  mean  time  retiring,  all  hav- 
ing first  approached  and  kissed  the  hand  of  the  Patriarch ; 
the  Bishops,  (two  being  present,  but  taking  no  part  in  the 
service,  the  office  of  the  Patriarch  on  the  occasion  being 
that  of  the  Bishop,)  the  priest,  and  deacons  successively. 
The  deacons  kissed  the  hands  of  the  Patriarch,  Bishops  and 
Priests,  the  Priests  of  the  Patriarch  and  Bishops,  and  the 
Bishops  of  the  Patriarch.  The  departure  from  the  order  of 
the  service,  in  delivering  the  elements  to  the  lay-communi- 
cants while  the  congregation  were  retiring,  struck  me  un- 
pleasantly, as  seeming  to  infringe  upon  one  design  of  the 
ordinance,  as  the  Sacrament  of  Communion  and  Christian 
Fellowship.  I  was  pleased,  however,  with  the  slow  and 
deliberate  manner  in  which  the  whole  service  was  perform- 
ed, so  different  from  the  irreverent  hurry  often  visible  in 
others  of  the  Eastern  Churches,  and  sometimes  in  the  Sy- 
rian. 


1  In  the  Syrian,  as  in  the  Greek  and  Armenian  Churches,  the  bread 
and  wine  are  mixed. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  211 

After  the  service  was  ended,  and  while  the  worshippers 
were  retiring,  the  women  from  the  city,  some  holding  their 
children  in  their  arms,  knelt  on  the  steps  before  the  altar, 
while  the  Patriarch,  having  divested  himself  of  his  cope, 
threw  it  over  them,  and  blessed  them. 

After  we  had  retired,  the  Patriarch  invited  me  to  his 
apartment,  where  we  conversed  for  half  an  hour.  I  asked 
him  how  frequently  it  was  the  custom  among  them  to  re- 
ceive the  communion.  He  said  once  in  two  or  three  weeks 
it  ought  to  be  received,  and  the  longest  time  for  which  it 
ought  on  any  account  to  be  omitted,  was  forty  days.  It 
ought,  he  said,  to  be  received  frequently,  in  order  that  the 
communicant  might  be  able  to  remember  his  sins,  and  make 
a  thorough  and  minute  confession  of  them  before  God. 
With  regard  to  the  service  of  Communion,  he  said  that  they 
had  changed  nothing  from  the  earliest  ages,  and  that  he 
did  not  believe  there  were  any  forms  more  ancient  than 
their  own,  existing.  With  regard  to  pictures,  he  said  that  it 
was  unlawful  to  worship  them,  and  that  the  only  use  of  them 
which  could  be  tolerated,  was  as  ornaments  of  the  Church, 
and  to  bring  to  mind  the  scenes  and  persons  which  they 
represented.  I  inquired  whether  his  meaning  might  be 
illustrated  by  the  use  which  we  make  of  the  portraits  of 
departed  friends,  and  he  replied  that  it  was  precisely  what 
he  would  say  of  the  pictures  of  Christ  and  the  Saints.  He 
blamed  the  free  use  that  the  Greeks,  and  even  his  brethren, 
the  Armenians,  make  of  them,  and  thought  the  tendency 
of  such  reverence  extremely  dangerous. 

During  our  conversation,  he  put  into  my  handsome  of 
the  little  cakes  used  in  the  Sacrament.  It  was  a  small 
round  cake  about  two  inches  in  diameter,  and  half  an  inch 
thick,  impressed  with  twelve  crosses,  and  pierced  in  five 
places,  the  former  representing  the  number  of  the  Apostles, 
and  the  latter  the  five  wounds  of  Christ.  It  is  creased  so 
as  to  be  broken  into  twelve  pieces,  each  piece  bearing  a 


212  VISIT    TO    THE 

mark  of  the  cross  and  intended  for  one  communicant.  In 
this  way  it  is  known  at  once  how  many  cakes  are  necessary 
for  the  number  who  are  to  communicate.  I  should  ha've 
before  remarked,  that  on  the  uppermost  part  of  the  altar  in 
the  Church,  was  a  small  vessel  containing  the  elements 
which  had  formerly  been  consecrated,  intended,  after  a 
very  ancient  custom,  of  which  we  see  traces  in  Justin  Mar- 
tyr, (A.  D.  140,)  to  be  carried  to  the  sick  in  case  of 
emergency.1 

In  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  I  witnessed  the  com- 
pline service,  one  and  a  half  hours  after  sunset.  It  was 
held  in  the  chapel  of  St.  Mary,  adjoining  the  Church  of 
St.  Ananias,  on  the  East  side  of  the  court.  The  apartment 
is  small  and  has  no  altar,  being  designed  rather  as  a  recep- 
tacle for  dead  than  a  place  of  worship  for  the  living. 
The  founder  of  the  monastery,  and  the  Patriarchs  and 
Bishops  who  have  died  in  it,  are  all  buried  here.  Their 
tombs  are  in  alcoves,  along  the  sides  of  the  chapel.  Be- 
fore each  alcove  a  curtain  was  drawn,  and  a  lamp  burn- 
ing. I  have  never  witnessed  a  more  affecting  scene  than 
that  which  followed — the  remnant  of  an  ancient  Church 
(for  so  it  seemed)  gathered  at  the  tombs  of  their  fathers, 
and  chanting  in  plaintive  tones,  their  evening  prayers. 
The  dimness  which  prevailed  in  the  apartment,  the  sub- 
dued manner  of  the  worshippers,  and  the  mournful  accents 
of  the  chant,  all  combined  to  form  a  scene  which  moved 
me  even  to  tears.  At  the  close,  the  Bishop  who  conducted 
the  devotions,  went  round  the  room,  bearing  a  censer,  and 
slightl^drawing  aside  each  curtain,  cried  aloud.  This  was 
repeateu  three  times.  The  fourth,  the  priest  and  deacons 
present  joined  the  procession,  and  all  moved  in  solemn 
march  around  the  tomb.  The  services  continued  about 
half  an  hour.  The  dimissory  was  pronounced  by  a  deacon, 
and  all  present,  after  saluting  each  other,  retired. 

1  1st  Apol.  $$  85,  87. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  213 

The  next  day  I  attended  vespers,  which  were  said  out 
of  doors,  under  the  piazza,  in  front  of  the  Chapel  of  St. 
Mary.  There  was  here  a  niche  in  the  wall,  precisely  like 
that  for  the  Imam  in  a  mosque,  and  intended,  like  that,  to 
direct  the  prayers  of  the  worshipper,  although  towards  a 
different  quarter.  The  early  Christians  prayed  towards  the 
East,  and  the  Kibleh  of  the  Mohammedans  is  doubtless  one 
of  their  numerous  imitations  of  Christianity.  The  prayers 
were  said  in  part  by  the  Patriarch,  and  in  part  by  the  whole 
congregation.  A  portion  was  responsive,  and  a  portion  utter- 
ed in  silence.  The  service  commenced  with  an  act  of 
reverence  to  the  Deity,  the  worshippers  bowing,  prostrating, 
and  crossing  themselves.  The  same  acts  were  several  times 
repeated  in  the  course  of  the  prayers,  but  the  prayers  were 
offered  standing.  Incense  was  also  used  in  the  service,  and 
the  whole  was  closed  with  the  dimissory  by  the  deacon. 
At  the  end  of  the  service,  before  the  congregation  retired, 
the  kiss  of  peace  was  given,  a  Bishop  present  kissing  the 
hand  of  the  Patriarch,  the  Priests  that  of  the  Patriarch  and 
Bishop,  the  Deacons  of  the  Patriarch,  Bishop  and  Priests, 
and  the  people  the  hands  of  all  the  Clergy  and  of  each  other. 
It  was  a  pleasant  sight,  just  as  the  sun  was  going  down,  to 
behold  this  little  congregation  exchanging  the  ancient  token 
of  love,  and  preparing  to  go  to  their  rest  in  charity,  peace, 
and  good-will. 


10* 


214  VISIT    TO    THE 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

Visit  to  Mardin. — The  Road. — Church  of  Mar  Behnam.— Altars. — Bap- 
tistry.— Churches  of  Mar  Shimon  and  Mar  Michael. — Legend  of  Mar 
Michael. — Mar  Behnam,  his  Conversion  and  Fate. — Population  of 
Mardin. — The  Governor. — Dialogue  on  Fasting. — Conversation  on 
the  Procession  of  the  Holy  Ghost. — The  Syrian  Patriarchs. — Their 
Number. — "  Church  Annals." — Passages  from  them. — Topics  of  Con- 
versation at  the  Monastery. — Misrepresentations  of  the  Western  Re- 
formed Churches. — Their  Source. — Character  and  Object  of  Romish 
Efforts  among  the  Eastern  Churches. — Our  Position  with  relation  to 
them. — The  Church  of  England. — How  Misunderstood. — Confounded 
with  Errors  which  she  rejects. — Her  Proper  Mission. — The  Library  of 
Der  Zafran. — The  Chapel  of  St.  Peter. — Altar  Stone  from  an  Ancient 
Church  at  Antioch. — The  Bell. — Conversations  on  the  Nature  of  Christ. 
— Visitors. — Character  of  Discussions  at  the  Monastery. — Our  true 
Position. — Differences. — Our  Duty. 

JULY  7.  Visited  the  city  with  Bishop  Matthew.  The 
Bishop  rode  on  a  mule,  and  a  little  boy  by  his  side  carried 
his  Episcopal  staff.  We  were  an  hour  in  reaching  the 
town,  which  stands  nearly  on  a  level  with  the  monastery, 
and  therefore  the  road  to  it,  though  winding  among  the 
mountains,  is  not  difficult.  About  a  quarter  of  an  hour  from 
the  monastery,  we  passed  through  a  Syrian  village,  called 
Kaleh  Mara,  from  a  fortress  on  the  top  of  a  lofty  crag  near 
by,  which  tradition  says  was  destroyed  by  Timourleng, 
whose  name  is  still  famous  throughout  these  parts  of  the 
East.  In  the  city  we  alighted  at  the  Church  of  Mar  Beh- 
nam, the  largest  Syrian  Church  in  the  town.  It  has  no 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  215 

less  than  five  altars,  one  of  which  is  exclusively  for  females. 
The  Syrian  Churches  have  generally  three,  and  where  there 
are  priests  sufficient,  the  service  of  the  Holy  Communion  is 
performed  at  all  together.  The  practice  is  obviously  a  de- 
parture from  ancient  custom,  which  allowed  but  one  altar 
in  a  Church,  but  its  design  seems  to  have  been  to  accom- 
modate the  large  number  of  persons  attending  theCommunion 
that  all  might  witness  the  worship  and  all  partake. 

The  Baptistry  in  Mar  Behnam  is  placed,  as  I  have 
generally  found  it  in  the  Syrian  Churches,  on  the  South 
side  near  the  chancel,  in  a  kind  of  latticed  closet.  The 
font  was  a  plain  stone  on  a  pedestal  about  three  feet 
high,  arid  the  basin  of  sufficient  size  to  receive  an  infant. 
As  usual,  too,  it  was  not  clean  and  in  good  order.  Some 
priests'  garments  were  lying  in  the  font,  on  removing  which 
I  found  a  nest  of  young  rats  nestled  in  the  folds. 

I  afterwards  visited  the  Churches  of  Mar  Shimon  and 
Mar  Michael,  the  former  within  the  town,  close  upon  the 
walls,  the  latter  just  without  the  city.  All  these  Churches 
have  legends  connected  with  them,  commemorating  the 
wonderful  deeds  of  their  founders,  and  these  are  sometimes 
illustrated  by  pictures  preserved  in  the  Churches.  Mar 
Mi4hael,  for  example,  was  the  son  of  a  Pagan  prince  of 
Iconium.  He  had  been  sent  away  from  the  court  in  dis- 
grace, mounted  on  a  mule  which  was  suffered  to  take  its 
own  course,  and  came  to  Mardin,  where  he  met  with  a  holy 
man,  Mar  Yououf  (St.  Joseph),  by  whom  he  was  converted 
to  Christianity.  His  sister,  wishing  to  follow  him,  and 
being  prevented,  was  at  her  own  desire  half  transformed 
into  a  fish,  by  which  means  she  was  enabled  to  swim  across 
the  pond  or  river  which  confined  her,  and  come  to  Mardin, 
where  she  embraced  the  new  faith  of  her  brother,  who  had 
founded  a  Church.  Her  tomb  is  still  shown  in  the  Church, 
and  also  a  picture  representing  Mar  Yousouf,  the  young 
prince,  and  his  sister,  the  latter  half  fish  and  half  woman. 
Of  Mar  Behnam,  whose  name  is  celebrated  among  the 


216  VISIT    TO    THE 

Syrians,  it  is  said  that  he  was  a  son  of  one  Senkharib,  king 
of  Nineveh  ;  that  riding  one  day  with  forty  horsemen,  who 
constantly  attended  him,  he  pursued  a  gazelle  as  far  as  the 
mountain  on  which  Mar  Mattai  stands,  and  up  it  to  the  spot 
where  the  monastery  now  is.  Here  the  gazelle  suddenly  dis- 
appeared in  a  cave.  On  entering,  the  prince  beheld  an  aged 
hermit,  but  no  gazelle.  On  inquiring  where  the  gazelle  had 
gone,  the  hermit  told  him  to  sit  down  and  listen  to  him. 
During  their  conversation,  the  hermit,  whose  name  was 
Mar  Mattai,  gave  him  much  instruction  concerning  Chris- 
tianity, and  discovered  to  him  that  he  possessed  miraculous 
power.  The  young  man  promised  to  believe  and  embrace 
the  new  religion,  if  he  could  heal  his  sister,  who  was  suffer- 
ing from  a  disease  that  was  regarded  as  incurable.  The  old 
man  promised  to  perform  the  act,  and  appointed  a  spot  whi- 
ther the  princess  should  be  brought.  Behnam  then  retired, 
and  at  the  appointed  time  repaired  with  his  sister  and  the 
forty  horsemen  to  the  place  named  by  the  hermit,  where  they 
found  the  old  man  waiting  for  them.  When  all  was  ready 
Mar  Mattai  struck  his  staff  upon  the  ground,  and  a  stream 
of  water  instantly  burst  forth.  In  this  he  ordered  the  prin- 
cess to  wash.  She  obeyed,  and  was  made  whole.  Behnam 
and  his  companions  instantly  believed  and  were  baptized. 
His  sister  also  embraced  the  faith  which  had  wrought  so 
wonderful  a  cure  upon  her.  They  then  returned  with  joy  to 
the  city,  and  the  hermit  retired  to  his  cave. 

The  change  in  the  faith  of  Behnam  was  not  long  con- 
cealed from  the  king,  who  employed  every  means  to  persuade 
his  son  to  abandon  his  supposed  delusion.  Behnam  was  in- 
exorable, and  with  great  "zeal  exhorted  his  father  to  forsake 
himself  the  errors  of  paganism.  The  father  then  resorted  to 
torture,  and  when  this  proved  ineffectual,  he  ordered  his  son  to 
be  put  to  death.  The  son  found  some  means  of  escape,  and 
fled  with  his  sister  and  the  forty  horsemen  to  a  place  now 
called  Karagosh,  about  five  hours  E.  of  Mossoul,  where  he  was 
overtaken  by  his  father,  who  ordered  him  and  his  company 


SYRIAN    CHUKCH.  217 

to  be  instantly  put  to  death.  Before  the  command  could  be 
obeyed,  the  earth  suddenly  opened  and  swallowed  them  up. 
The  enraged  tyrant  remained  mute  with  astonishment,  and 
repaired  to  his  palace  to  mourn  too  late  the  loss  of  his  chil- 
dren. It  was  not  long  before  he  was  attacked  with  the  same 
disease  which  had  afflicted  his  daughter.  After  trying  every 
remedy  in  vain,  he  was  prevailed  upon  by  the  entreaties  of  his 
wife,  to  resort  to  the  miraculous  power  of  the  old  hermit, 
who  performed  upon  him  the  same  miraculous  cure  which 
he  had  performed  upon  his  daughter,  and  with  the  same 
happy  result  of  a  change  in  his  faith.  He  now  mourned 
afresh  for  the  fate  of  his  children,  and  determined,  since  he 
could  not  restore  them  to  life,  to  do  all  in  his  power  in  hon- 
or of  their  memory.  He,  therefore,  caused  the  earth  to  be 
opened  where  they  were  swallowed  up,  and  the  bodies  to  be 
taken  out.  They  were  then  honorably  interred  near  by,  and 
a  monastery,  bearing  the  name  of  the  son,  erected  on  the  spot. 
The  monastery  yet  stands,  and  is  one  of  the  most  famous  in 
Syrian  history.  Near  by  are  seen  the  graves  of  the  martyrs, 
and  the  burial  place  of  the  king  is  seen  at  the  door  of  the 
monastery.  I  relate  these  stories  as  they  were  told  me  by 
the  Syrians,  and  as  illustrative  of  one  feature  in  the  present 
condition  of  their  Church.  I  do  not  take  it  upon  myself  to 
say  how  much  of  truth  is  mingled  with  such  legends. 

In  the  Church  of  Mar  Behnam,  in  Mardin,  is  a  pic- 
ture representing  the  first  meeting  between  the  prince 
and  Mar  Mattai,  besides  a  great  variety  of  others  on  differ- 
ent subjects,  all  done  in  the  rudest  style  of  the  art,  though 
esteemed  ornaments  by  the  people.  Most  of  the  Syrian 
Churches  are  more  or  less  decorated  in  this  way,  and  have 
a  picture  of  some  kind,  or  a  simple  cross  of  wood  or  metal, 
over  the  altar. 

The  present  population  of  Mardin,  exclusive  of  the  Mus- 
sulmans, consists  of  500  Papal  Armenian  families,  454  Sy- 
rian, 200  Papal  Syrian,  and  40  Chaldean.  The  population 
had  considerably  diminished  since  my  former  visit,  and  the 


218  VISIT    TO    THE 

prosperity  of  the  town  evidently  declined,  owing,  as  it  would 
seem,  to  the  combined  evils  of  oppression  and  famine.    The 
late  governor   had  been  a  tyrant,  but  the  new  one  bore  a 
different  character,   and  I  every   where  heard  his  coming 
hailed  with  joy.     His  good  reputation  induced  me  to  call 
upon  him,  and  I  found  him  a  man,  judging  from  his  con- 
versation, of  a  very  extraordinary  character  for  a  Mussul- 
man  ruler.     He  had  not,  he  said,  wished   for  office,  and 
would  not  have  accepted  it,  had  it  not  been  for  the  misera- 
ble, oppressed  people  about  him.    He  should  be  happy  if  he 
could  do  any  thing  for  their  relief.    He  considered,  he  said, 
the  most  even  justice  to  the  people  to  be  the  highest  pros- 
perity of  government,  and  oppression  to  be  the  ruin  of  the 
ruler  as  well  as  of  the  ruled.     Many  other  like  sentiments 
he  uttered,  which  I   was   willing  to  believe   sincere,  both 
from  the  universal  reputation  for  integrity  which  Kurd  Mo- 
hammed Bey  enjoys,  and  from  the  frankness  and  plainness 
with  which  they  were  uttered,  which  had  all  the  apparent 
freedom  and  open-heartedness  of  a  Kurdish  gentleman.     I 
took  occasion  to  commend  the  poor  Christians  to  his  par- 
ticular attention.     For  the  purpose  of  urging  this  plea,  I 
had  preceded  my  visit  by  a  handsome  present,  which  my 
servant  had  great  difficulty  in  inducing  him  to  accept,  and 
when  I  came   in,  he  had   thrown    it  down  on   the    floor. 
"  There  was  no  need,"  he  said,  "  of  coming  to  me  in  that 
manner;  I  am  not  of  that  sort,"   alluding  to  the  universal 
custom  in  the  East — a  custom  as  old  as  the  Patriarchs — of 
making  favor  by  means  of  a  present.    It  was  thus  that  Jacob 
approached  his  brother  Esau,  whom  he  was  afraid  to  meet: 
"  I  will  appease  him  with  the  present  that  goeth  before  me, 
and  afterward  I  will  see  his  face  :  peradventure  he  will  ac- 
cept of  me.1    A  Syrian  priest  had  accompanied  me,  and  was 
sitting  by  my  side.     The  Governor  inquired  kindly  of  the 
health  and  welfare  of  the  Patriarch,  and  said  that  he  in- 

1  Genesis  xxxii.  20. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  '2  1  9 

tended  making  a  visit  to  the  monastery.  The  priest  replied, 
that  the  Patriarch  was  intending  to  invite  him,  but  had  de- 
ferred it  on  account  of  the  fast.  "Why  do  you  fast?" 
said  the  Governor,  in  a  good-humored  manner  ;  "  can  you 
prove  to  me  out  of  the  Gospel  that  Jesus  ever  prescribed 
it?"  The  Priest  was  at  a  loss  for  an  authority,  and  I  quoted 
that  of  Mark  ii.  19,  20:  "And  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Can 
the  children  of  the  bride-chamber  fast  while  the  bride- 
groom is  with  them  ?  As  long  as  they  have  the  bridegroom 
with  them,  they  cannot  fast.  But  the  days  will  come  when 
the  bridegroom  shall  be  taken  away  from  them,  and  then 
shall  they  fast  in  those  days."  The  Governor  was  satisfied 
with  the  authority,  if  indeed  he  had  any  other  object  in  put- 
ting the  question  than  to  fathom  the  priest's  learning.  He 
treated  him,  however,  with  great  civility,  although  his 
cringing  and  awe-struck  demeanor  was  little  calculated  to 
inspire  respect. 

At  sundown  I  returned  with  the  Bishop  to  the  monas- 
tery. The  next  two  days  were  spent  in  inquiries  and  duties 
which  need  not  be  detailed  here.  I  cannot  omit,  however, 
one  conversation  with  the  Patriarch  upon  the  vexed  question 
of  the  Procession.  The  doctrine  of  the  English  Church  on 
the  subject  is  contained  in  the  Nicene1  and  Athanasian2 
Creeds,  is  incidentally  asserted  in  the  Articles,3  and  is  im- 
plied in  other  places4  in  the  Prayer  Book.  I  shall  have 

1  "  And  I  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Lord  and  Giver  of  life,  who 
proceedeth  from  the  Father  AND  THE  SON." 

2  "  The  Holy  Ghost  is  of  the  Father  AND  THE  SON  ;  neither  made, 
nor  created,  nor  begotten,  but  proceeding."     [This  Creed  is  not  retained 
in  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in 
the  United  States.] 

a  "  The  Holy  Ghost  proceeding  from  the  Father  AND  THE  SON,"  &c. 
Art.  5. 

4  "O  God,  the  Holy  Ghost  proceeding  from  tJie  Father  AND  THE  SON, 
&c.  The  Litany  : 

"  Teach  us  to  know  the  Father,  Son 


*220  VISIT    TO    THE 

more  to  say  of  it  at  another  time.  At  present  I  will  only 
allude  to  the  manner  in  which  the  Patriarch  spoke  of  it. 
He  commenced  with  a  long  metaphysical  argument  intended 
to  prove  that  the  Holy  Ghost  could  not  proceed  both  from 
the  Father  and  the  Son,1  without  involving  the  difficulty  of 
two  persons  in  the  Holy  Spirit.  I  replied  that,  according  to 
the  Anglican  belief,  it  did  not  seem  necessary  to  assert  that 
the  Procession  from  the  Father  and  from  the  Son  was  the 
same ;  that  the  procession  from  the  Father  might  be  in  his 
sense  of  the  term,  and  that  from  the  Son  in  the  character  of 
a  messenger.  The  Patriarch  answered  that  this  was  the 

"  And  Thee,  OF  BOTH,  to  be  but  One." 

And  so  in  the  original  Latin,  "  Te  UTRIUSQUE  Spiritum."*  The  Veni 
Creator  Spiritus,  in  the  Forms  for  the  Ordering  of  Priests  and  the  Con- 
secration of  Bishops. — So  also  the  other  form  : 

"  Come,  Holy  Ghost,  Eternal  God, 

"  Proceeding  from  above, 

"  BOTH  from  the  Father  AND  THE  SON,"  &c. 

1  All  the  Eastern  Churches  receive  the  Nicene  Creed  in  what  they 
affirm  to  be  its  original  form,  that  is,  without  the  words,  and  the  Son. 
By  the  Eastern  Churches  I  mean  the  Greek,  the  Armenian,  the  Syrian, 
the  Nestorian,  the  Coptic,  and  the  Abyssinian.  In  all  of  them  the  Creed 

reads  substantially  thus :  "  I  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost who 

proceedeth  from  the  Father,  who  with  the  Father  and  the  Son  together." 
&c. 

*  This,  however,  implies  nothing  with  regard  to  Procession.  The 
Eastern  Christians  freely  acknowledge  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  both  of  the 
Father  and  the  Son.  They  only  deny  that  He  proceeds  from  both.  He 
is  of  the  Father,  they  say,  by  procession,  and  of  the  Son  by  mission  ; 
giving  to  procession  a  definite  and  limited  meaning,  viz.,  that  of  issuing ; 
and  to  mission  that  of  being  sent  as  a  messenger.  Thus  they  commonly 
express  their  belief,  in  these  words :  "  Proceeding  from  the  Father,  and 
sent  by  the  Son."  They  allow,  however,  procession  from  the  Son  in  a 
different  sense  from  that  of  the  procession  from  the  Father.  The  latter 
is  hypostatical  or  personal ;  the  former  external  or  official.  After  an  ad-  • 
mission  of  this  kind  it  is  difficult  to  see  what  matter  for  controversy  re- 
mains. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  V."J  I 

doctrine  of  Scripture  and  the  belief  of  his  own  Church,  that 
if  it  was  also  the  belief  of  the  Western  Church,  there  was 
on  this  point  no  difference  between  us,  but  he  still  thought 
it  would  be  safer  to  use  the  language  of  the  Evangelist, 
'  proceeding  from  the  Father,  and  sent  by  the  Son.'1  "  We 
cannot,"  he  added,  "  improve  upon  the  Gospel."  I  quoted 
the  passages  which  bear  upon  the  procession  from  the  Son,2 
and  stated  what  had  appeared  to  me,  upon  careful  examina- 
tion, to  be  the  opinions  of  Anglican  Divines.3  I  said, 
moreover,  that  the  doctrine  of  the  twofold  procession  was 
plainly  a  doctrine  of  the  Western  Church,  but  that  I  was 
not  aware  that  the  particular  mode  of  interpretation  was 
prescribed  by  the  Church,  or  that  any  could  be  taken  as 
authoritative.  Upon  the  historical  argument  I  admitted  my 
own  private  conviction  to  be  that  the  words,  and  the  Son, 
were  not  in  the  Creed  as  framed  by  the  Council  of  Nice, 
A.  D.  325,  and  the  First  Council  of  Constantinople,  A.  D. 
381 ;  and  that  the  form  approved  by  the  Council  of  Ephe- 
sus,  A.  D.  431,  was  the  same  as  is  now  held  by  the  Greek 
and  other  Eastern  Churches.  This  I  said  was  my  private 
opinion  upon  a  simple  historical  question  which  had  not 

been  judged  by  iny  own  Church A  servant  now 

came  in  with  the  dinner,  and  I  engaged  with  the  Patriarch 
to  pursue  the  subject  at  another  time. 

July  10.  To-day  the  Patriarch  was  engaged  all  the 
morning  in  the  rural  occupation  of  superintending  the 
threshing  and  winnowing  of  the  wheat.  In  the  afternoon  I 
called  upon  him,  and  commenced  the  conversation  by  asking 
the  whole  number  of  Patriarchs  in  the  line  which  he  repre- 
sented. He  sent  for  the  Annals,  and  turning  to  the  list  of 

1  The  Patriarch  alluded  to  the  passage  in  John  xv.  26  ;  "  But  when 
the  Comforter  is  come,  whom  /  will  send  unto  you  from  the  Father,  even 
the  Spirit  of  truth  which  proceedeth  from  the  FATHER,"  &c. 

8  E.  g.  John  xv.  26  ;  Gal.  iv.  6  ;  1  Pet.  i.  11. 

3  See,  for  example,  Burnet  on  the  Articles,  Art.  V. 


222  VISIT    TO    THE 

the  Patriarchs,  counted  141,  including  St.  Peter  at  the  be- 
ginning, and  himself  at  the  end.  I  asked  to  what  age  the 
book  reached  back.  The  Patriarch  replied,  "  To  Adam," 
It  struck  me  that  if  it  had  been  kept  m  the  way  of  annals 
from  that  time,  it  must  be  indeed  an  interesting  book.  I 
requested  him,  therefore,  to  turn  to  the  first  page.  He  began 
to  read  an  account  of  the  Creajtion,  but  soon  stopped,  say- 
ing, "  All  this  was  taken  from  the  Bible."  He  then  turned 
into  the  middle  of  the  book,  and  read  two  or  three  pages 
relative  to  the  times  preceding  the  Council  of  Nice.  The 
passage  contained  several  curious  facts,  which  I  did  not  re- 
member having  seen  in  any  history  of  the  period.  It  con- 
firmed the  story  of  the  awful  death  of  Arius,  and  narrated  a 
deception  practised  by  him  upon  the  Emperor.  Arius  having 
written  a  statement  of  his  belief,  put  the  paper  in  his  bosom, 
and  when  called  upon  to  testify  his  assent  to  a  form  drawn  up 
by  the  Emperor,  laid  his  hand  apparently  on  his  heart,  but 
really  upon  the  paper  there  concealed,  and  said,  "  This  is 
my  belief." 

We  then  turned  to  other  matters.  After  conversing  for 
a  time,  and  seeing  that  he  was  evidently  wearied  from  his 
labors  abroad,  I  left  him  to  his  repose,  but  the  old  man  rose 
with  me  and  went  to  the  field  to  look  after  his  harvest. 

Time  would  fail  me  to  record  even  a  small  portion  of 
the  conversations  which  I  had  in  the  monastery  with  the 
Patriarch,  Bishops,  and  monks,  although,  if  I  could  relate 
them,  they  might  furnish  additional  illustrations  of  the 
comparative  purity  of  the  Syrian  Church,  and  the  unusual 
strictness  of  discipline  which  it  still  preserves.  Upon  the 
great  point  of  difference — the  Fourth  General  Council — as 
well  as  upon  matters  of  a  practical  character,  they  were  long 
and  animated,  but  free  from  any  bitterness  and  asperity. 
Another  and  not  less  frequent  topic  was  the  gross  misrepre- 
sentations respecting  the  Anglican  Church,  which  had 
reached  even  this  quiet  retreat.  Who  would  think  of  going 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  223 

to  the  old  monastery  of  Zafran  to  hear  such  stories  as  that  in 
England  priests  are  not  ordained,  but  are  created  by  the  sove- 
reign, or  that  the  Sacrament  of  Holy  Communion  is  given  to 
the  people  only  once  in  thirty  years,  or  that  when  it  is  given, 
the  priest  says  a  few  words,  and  all  the  people  rush  to  the 
table,  and  each  snatches  a  portion  for  himself?  These, 
and  many  others  such  like,  have  been  diligently  circulated, 
not  only  in  Mesopotamia,  but  all  over  the  East.  I  have  met 
them  every  where,  and  in  every  instance  where  I  have  been 
able  to  trace  them,  have  found  them  to  have  come  from  Pa- 
pal emissaries.  I  was  not,  therefore,  surprised  to  hear  of 
them  in  the  Patriarchal  monastery  of  Zafran.  The  object 
in  circulating  them  has  manifestly  been  to  keep  the  Eastern 
Christians  aloof  from  the  influences  of  a  pure  faith  and 
worship,  while  the  jjreat  end  of  Romish  labors  has  been  to 
introduce  the  peculiar  errors  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  and 
to  degrade  Christianity  by  superstitions  before  unheard  of. 
In  the  Mesopotamian  Churches  the  utmost  jealousy  has 
been  shown  of  the  simple  and  highly  spiritual  character  of 
the  ancient  worship,  and  the  effort  has  chiefly  been  to  hang 
upon  it  idle  ceremonies  and  superstitious  observances,  for 
the  purpose  of  counteracting  its  native  tendencies.  Its  sup- 
posed resemblance  to  Anglicanism,  which  is  in  truth  no 
more  nor  less  than  its  resemblance  to  primitive  Christianity, 
lias  been  watched  with  the  most  sensitive  suspicion,  and 
wherever  converts  have  been  made  to  Popery,  the  first  ob- 
ject has  been  to  corrupt  their  religion  by  introducing  such 
things  as  holy  water,  and  rosaries,  and  bowing  to  images, 
and  wearing  pictures,  and  every  expedient  that  could  be  de- 
vised, to  turn  men's  minds  from  the  doctrines,  at  once  pure 
and  primitive,  of  a  living  faith  and  a  self-denying  obedience. 
When  we  thus  see  minds  left  in  all  their  former  ignorance, 
and  thence  plunged  to  a  deeper  depth  in  what  that  ignorance 
will  inevitably  make  a  dangerous  and  soul-destroying  super- 
stition, there  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  aim  and  tendency  of 


224  VISIT    TO    THE 

such  efforts.  Whatever  may  be  the  faith  of  the  Church  of 
Rome,  or  however  different  may  be  the  face  in  which  she 
appears  in  other  lands,  among  the  Christians  of  the  East 
these  have  been  her  labors.  Hence  it  is  that  we  can  have 
no  affinity  with  her ;  hence  she  is  our  enemy,  and  hence  too 
our  labors  must  be  to  assume  the  ground  of  genuine  Catholi- 
cism— seeking  to  preserve  the  things  that  remain  and  are 
ready  to  die,  to  infuse  the  life  and  vigor  of  youth  into  forms 
which  breathe  the  spirit  and  power  of  ancient  days,  to  stand 
upon  the  undoubted  doctrines  of  the  primitive  faith,  and  to 
effect  their  re-establishment  wherever  they  have  been  weak- 
ened or  lost,  to  instruct  in  what  is  both  pure  and  Apostolic, 
to  restore  a  right  appreciation  of  the  Holy  Sacraments  and 
the  self-crucifying  duties  of  a  holy  life.  If  the  Church  of 
England,  or  our  own,  has  been  misunderstood,  it  is  because 
she  has  not  been  rightly  known,  because  she  is  mingled,  in 
the  conceptions  of  Eastern  Christians,  with  the  peculiarities 
of  those  with  whom  she  has  no  connexion ;  now  represented 
as  rejecting  the  divinity  of  our  Saviour,  now  as  having  dis- 
carded infant  baptism,  and  now  as  destitute  of  a  duly  or- 
ganized ministry.  And  so  it  must  remain  until  she  herself 
will  make  herself  known  as  a  Church  essentially  sound  and 
primitive,  as  possessing  all  the  credentials  and  marks  of  the 
Church  of  Christ,  in  her  faith,  her  sacraments,  her  ministry, 
and  her  worship ;  as  discarding  errors  which  she  does  not 
hold,  and  as  seeking  a  return  to  unity  upon  ancient  and 
scriptural  grounds.  Until  she  does  this,  the  first  step  in  her 
high  and  holy  mission  will  not  have  been  taken. 

I  was  a  week  at  the  monastery  before  I  found  a  leisure 
hour  for  visiting  the  library.  I  had  heard  much  of  its  value, 
and  expected  to  find  it  a  rich  repository  of  Syriac  literature. 
What  was  my  surprise  to  find  that  it  consisted  of  no  more 
than  fifty  volumes  piled  together  on  a  shelf  in  a  low,  dark 
room,  and  covered  thick  with  dust.  Most  of  them  were 
works  in  Arabic,  written  in  the  Syriac  character  and  the 


SYRIAN    CHURCH. 

greater  part  were  injured  by  time,  neglect,  and  rats.  There 
were  a  few  books  of  European  origin,  the  most  valuable  of 
which  was  a  Biblia  Polyglotta,  (published  in  London  in 
1756,  and  containing  the  Hebrew,  Septuagint,  Arabic, 
Syriac,  and  Vulgate  versions,  with  Latin  translations  of  the 
first  four,  and  the  Targurn,  with  a  Latin  translation,)  and 
Edmund  Castell's  Lexicon  Heptaglotton,  published  in  1786. 
There  were  also  a  few  copies  of  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society's  edition  of  the  Scriptures  in  Arabic  and 
Syriac,  and  these,  with  the  others,  were  all  the  remains  of  the 
celebrated  library  of  Der  Zafran.  The  Bishop  who  accom- 
panied me,  told  me  that  the  rest  were  destroyed  by  the 
Kurds  during  their  occupation  of  the  monastery.  They 
used  them,  he  said,  for  wadding  to  their  guns,  and  for  culi- 
nary and  other  purposes. 

July  II.1  The  Fast  of  the  Apostles  closed  yesterday, 
and  to-day  is  the  Feast  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul.  The 
morning  services  were  in  the  chapel  of  St.  Peter,  which  had 
not  till  now  been  open  for  public  worship,  since  my  arrival. 
The  altar  in  this  Church  is  differently  placed  from  any  other 
that  I  have  seen.  It  is  against  the  wall,  on  the  east  side, 
beneath  no  alcove  or  canopy,  and  concealed  only  by  a  low 
curtain  in  front,  hanging  from  a  horizontal  wire  passing 
from  one  side  to  the  other,  which  curtain  is  open  during 
most  of  the  service.  Above  the  altar  is  a  stone  set  into  the 
wall,  and  upon  this  stone  is  a  simple  cross  engraved,  with 
an  inscription  in  Strangheli.  The  stone  is  said  to  have 
been  brought  from  the  Church  in  Antioch  in  which  St.  Pe- 
ter himself  ministered.  The  words  of  the  inscription  are 

1  The  date  is  after  our  computation  of  time,  but  with  the  Syrians  it 
was  the  29th  of  June,  their  reckoning  being  that  generally  used  among 
the  Eastern  Christians,  which  falls  at  present  12  days  behind  ours.  The 
Feast  of  St.  Peter  is  also  on  the  29th  June  in  the  English  and  American 
Churches,  and  indeed  in  most  others,  including  the  Greek,  the  Latin,  and 
the  Armenian. 


226  VISIT    TO    THE 

those  which  the  Saviour  addressed  to  the  Apostles :  "  Upon 
this  rock  I  will  build  my  Church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall 
not  prevail  against  it." '  They  seem  to  have  reference  to 
the  Cross  as  the  sign  of  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God. 
The  Patriarch  officiated  again,  and  the  services  were  sub- 
stantially the  same  as  on  the  last  Sunday.  At  the  close,  a 
considerable  number  received  the  Holy  Sacrament. 

In  the  same  Church,  in  a  little  recess  near  the  door,  is 
a  plank  suspended  from  above,  which  is  beaten  by  two  mal- 
lets to  call  the  monks  to  prayers.  Formerly  there  was  a 
bell  in  the  little  turret  which  rises  above  the  Church  of  St. 
Ananias,  but  it  has  been  in  some  way  lost  or  destroyed. 

When  the  services  were  ended,  I  went  with  the  Bishops 
to  the  room  of  the  Patriarch,  where  the  company  immedi- 
ately broke  their  fast  by  a  slight  repast  of  bread  and  cheese, 
the  custom  of  the  Syrians  being  to  continue  fasting  until 
the  Sacrament  has  been  received.  We  then  conversed  for 
half  an  hour  upon  the  doctrine  of  their  Church — the  one 
nature  of  Christ — which  separates  them  from  the  commun- 
ion of  other  Churches.  In  the  after  part  of  the  day,  I  re- 
sumed the  conversation  with  Bishop  Matthew,  and  the  next 
day  had  a  long  conference  with  the  Patriarch  on  the  same 
subject.  I  will  not  here  record  it,  as  I  shall  have  occasion 
to  allude  to  it  again  when  I  come  to  speak  of  the  doctrines 
and  worship  of  the  Syrian  Church.2  The  view  there  given 
is  the  result  of  almost  innumerable  conversations  with  Patri- 
arch, Bishops,  Priests,  and  Deacons,  at  different  times  and  in 
different  places.  It  is  a  simple  endeavor  to  show  the  real  po- 
sition of  the  Syrian  Church,  without  "  extenuating  aught  or 
setting  down  aught  in  malice."  If  it  presents  the  question  in 


1  St.  Mat.  xvi.  18. 

8  As  the  work  to  which  I  here  allude  is  not  likely  to  make  its  appear- 
ance for  some  time  to  come,  I  have  thought  it  best  to  give  the  substance 
of  my  views  on  this  important  topic  in  the  preface  to  the  present  volume. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  227 

a  more  hopeful  view  than  that  in  which  it  has  hitherto  been 
contemplated,  it  is,  supposing  the  view  to  be  just,  matter  for 
congratulation  and  thanksgiving  to  Almighty  God.  To 
Him  Jet  us  address  our  fervent  supplications  that  He  will,  in 
his  own  good  time,  heal  the  breach  which  remains,  and  re- 
store to  the  distracted  Church  of  Christ  its  long-lost  unity. 

July  12.  The  Feast  continues  another  day,  in  honor 
of  the  Holy  Apostles.  A  large  number  of  Syrians,  men, 
women  and  children,  have  come  from  the  city  to  spend  it  in 
idleness  and  rejoicing.  It  is  amusing  to  see  how  entirely 
they  make  themselves  at  home.  One  of  the  monks  acts  as 
steward,  and  provides  lodgings  for  the  visiters,  who  go  about 
as  freely  as  in  their  own  homes,  the  women  pursuing  their  culi- 
nary occupations,  washing  their  linen,  and  taking  care  of  the 
babies,  the  children  scampering  about,  screaming  and  play- 
ing, and  the  men  smoking  their  pipes,  talking,  and  lounging 
in  little  knots  with  as  much  freedom  as  if  every  person  had 
a  fee-simple  in  the  monastery.  Indeed  this  is  nearly  true, 
for  it  belongs  to  the  nation,  and  all  join  in  supporting  it.  It 
seems  to  be  an  asylum  not  only  for  the  religious  class,  but 
also  for  the  maim,  the  blind,  the  insane,  and  the  destitute, 
of  all  which  there  are  some  within  its  walls.  The  Patri- 
arch and  all  the  nation  wish  to  see  it  enlarged  and  its  for- 
mer grandeur  restored,  but  they  are  too  poor  to  furnish  the 
means.  The  two  years'  famine  has  exhausted  their  re- 
sources, and  compelled  them  to  wait  for  better  days.  It 
was  the  design  of  the  Patriarch  to  make  it  include  a  college 
for  instruction  in  theology,  to  which  candidates  selected  from 
the  schools  might  resort  to  prepare  for  the  holy  office  of  the 
ministry,  but  many  long  years,  I  fear,  will  pass  before  the 
design  is  carried  into  execution. 

My  work  at  the  monastery  was  now  done,  and  I  began 
to  prepare  for  leaving.  For  two  weeks  I  had  received  kind 
and  unremitted  attention  from  every  one  within  its  walls, 
from  the  Patriarch  down  to  the  old  porter  who  growled  at 


228  VISIT    TO    THE 

me  when  I  entered  the  gate.  Differences  plainly  discussed, 
had  given  no  check  to  hospitality,  nor  did  they  seem  to  de- 
tract at  all  from  the  interest  with  which  my  visit  was  re- 
garded. They  may  at  times  have  made  our  intercourse  a 
little  more  piquant,  but  in  no  instance  did  they  produce  any 
change  of  treatment  towards  myself,  or  diminish  the  con- 
fidence which  was  placed  in  me.  On  the  contrary,  it  was 
no  sooner  ascertained  that  I  had  a  Church  to  defend,  and 
that  that  Church  had  a  ministry  and  a  worship,  the  Three 
Orders,  a  Creed,  a  Liturgy,  Feasts  and  Fasts,  than  I  was  at 
once  admitted  to  the  full  privileges  of  a  Christian  man,  and 
listened  to  with  a  respect  and  deference  that  I  could  not 
otherwise  have  gained.  These  things  are  regarded  as  im- 
portant by  Eastern  Christians,  because  they  never  heard 
or  dreamed  of  a  Church  without  them.  They  have  known 
them  from  their  fathers ;  they  have  traced  them  back 
through  their  unbroken  line  of  Bishops  and  Patriarchs, 
through  their  venerable  liturgy,  which  they  claim  to  be  of 
Apostolic  origin,  through  all  the  history  of  the  past,  which 
they  have  never  known  to  be  without  them.  They  are  to 
them  as  the  walls  are  to  a  house,  or  a  portrait  to  the  original. 
They  are  that  in  which  the  form  and  features  of  Christian- 
ity are  expressed  and  preserved,  through  which  its  blessings 
are  conveyed -to  man.  How  can  it  be  otherwise  with  them, 
when  they  have  never  known  these  blessings  to  be  conveyed 
in  any  other  channels,  or  imagined  it  possible  that  they  could 
be  conveyed  in  any  other?  I  say,  then,  that  it  was  an  ad- 
vantage to  me  to  appear  in  the  character  of  one  whose 
Church  had  all  the  valid  and  essential  features  of  a  Church 
of  Christ;  whose  priesthood,  testified  in  proper  credentials 
bearing  the  seal  and  signature  of  his  Bishop,  could  not  be 
questioned,  and  who  coming  from  a  Church  which  possessed 
all  the  well-known  marks  of  ancient  and  authentic  origin, 
could  not  but  be  regarded  as  every  way  entitled  to  speak  of 
the  true  faith,  and  of  the  practical  interests  and  duties  of 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  229 

religion.  I  was,  therefore,  met  as  one  standing  upon  equal 
ground, — a  position  which  it  is  important  to  secure,  and 
which  the  primitive  character  of  my  Church  has  always 
enabled  me  to  maintain.  This  character  is  our  passport 
and  our  guarantee,  and  both  he  who  holds  it  to  be  of  no 
importance,  and  he  who  believes  that  our  Church  (when 
judged,  as  she  can  alone  be  by  strangers,  through  her  ac- 
credited standards)  is  deficient  in  any  essential  feature 
thereof,  are  alike  unqualified  to  be  her  representatives 
abroad.  I  say  this  from  no  uncharitable  spirit,  but  with 
a  deep-seated  conviction,  confirmed  by  experience,  that  our 
proper  lot  is  to  maintain  among  the  Eastern  Christians,  the 
essentially  primitive  character  of  our  Church,  and  to  pre- 
sent her  to  them  in  that  character  alone.  This  is  the  first 
condition  of  our  usefulness,  and  every  missionary  operation 
which  does  not  respect  it,  will  be  "  as  the  morning  cloud  and 
as  the  early  dew,  as  the  chaff  that  is  driven  with  the  whirl- 
wind out  of  the  floor,  and  as  the  smoke  out  of  the  chimney." 
I  will  freely  acknowledge  that  sometimes  when  I  have  thus 
presented  our  Church  to  members  of  the  Oriental  Com- 
munions, the  picture  would  have  seemed  to  them  more  com- 
plete if  some  things  that  are  wanting  in  it  still  formed  apart 
of  its  shade  and  coloring  ;  for  example,  unction  in  baptism, 
the  sign  of  the  cross  in  consecrating  the  Eucharist,  and 
especially  prayers  for  the  faithful  dead.  But  I  have  never 
found  real  cause  for  regretting  the  absence  of  these  and  such 
like  ancient  usages.  Those  which  are  merely  rites  I  have 
ever  found  to  be  acknowledged  as  not  essential  to  the  true 
character  of  a  Church.  Besides,  there  is  not  an  exact  uni- 
formity with  regard  to  them  among  the  Eastern  Christians 
themselves.  For  instance,  the  custom  of  mixing  water  with 
the  wine  in  the  Lord's  Supper,  which  has  the  sanction  of  the 
most  venerable  antiquity,  prevails  among  the  Syrians,  but 
not  among  the  Armenians,  and  yet  the  two  Churches  are  in 
full  communion.  Prayers  for  the  faithful  dead  present  a 

11 


230  VISIT    TO    THE 

more  serious  subject ;  but  excepting  those  portions  of  the 
Eastern  Churches  by  which  they  are  abused  for  purposes  of 
gain,  I  have  never  found  a  disposition  to  insist  upon  them  as 
really  essential,  and  the  reasons  for  our  discontinuing  them 
have  always  appeared  satisfactory  excepting  to  those  to  whom 
it  would  be  perhaps  an  advantage  if  they  would  discontinue 
them  also.  Those  by  whom  they  are  not  abused,  seem  to 
regard  the  want  of  them  among  us  as  a  deficiency  in  itself, 
but  justifiable  by  the  reasons  which  prevailed  at  the  time  they 
were  removed.  Nor  have  I  ever  seen  such  a  one  disposed 
to  consider  their  restoration  as  a  matter  of  indispensable 
necessity,  inasmuch  as  a  general  commemoration  of  ihe 
faithful  departed  is  preserved  in  the  service  of  the  Holy 
Communion,  the  order  for  Burial,  and  some  of  the  Festivals, 
especially  that  of  All  Saints.  This  is  sufficient  to  save  us 
from  the  reproach  of  forgetting  those  who,  though  passed 
away,  belong  with  us  to  the  Household  of  God,1  the  Family 
in  Heaven  and  Earth  ;2  and  more  than  this,  it  may  safely  be 
affirmed,  was  not  the  original  intention  of  prayers  for  them. 
The  position  of  our  Church,  then,  when  judged  by  the  clear 
voice  of  her  standards,  is  one  in  which,  on  the  whole,  I  have 
ever  found  reason  to  rejoice.  It  is  cne  in  which  she  appears 
as  chiefly  intent  upon  a  unity  of  faith,  and  yet  as  wanting 
nothing  which  is  essential  to  her  character  as  a  branch  of 
the  Church  Universal.  It  is  one  in  which  we  must  feel  com- 
pelled to  stand  upon  the  sure  basis  of  what  is  evidently  ne- 
cessary to  Christian  communion, — one  in  which  we  have 
little  temptation  to  form  alliances  upon  incidental  resem- 
blances in  things  of  minor  importance. — one  in  which  it  is 
most  needful  for  their  own  good  that  we  should  appear  to  the 
Eastern  Churches, — one  in  which  \vc  may  sustain  the  exalted 
character  of  seeking  a  restoration  of  unity  on  truly  primitive 
grounds.  May  we  have  grace  to  understand  and  improve 

1  Eph.  ii.  19.  «  Eph.iii.  15. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  231 

our  advantages,  turning  neither  to  the  right  hand  nor  to  the 
left ;  presenting  the  Church  in  her  pure  faith  and  her  unsul- 
lied worship  to  eyes  which  will  not  fail,  the  more  single  their 
vision  becomes,  to  be  attracted  by  the  one  and  love  the 
other.  There  is  no  Church  on  earth  which  has  the  power 
for  good  among  the  Eastern  Christians  which  the  Church  of 
England  and  the  sister  Church  in  the  United  Slates  possess. 
May  we  use  it  as  an  inestimable  treasure,  as  a  precious  talent 
for  which  'we  must  give  account! 

NOTE. — I  must  not  be  understood  in  this  chapter  as 
speaking  on  the  point  of  the  immediate  practicability  of 
union  with  the  Eastern  Churches.  That  is  a  great  point  by 
itself.  In  my  judgment  it  cannot  be  determined  by  any  data 
that  we  now  possess.  And  besides,  it  is  a  question  whether, 
supposing  that  no  difficulty  in  matters  of  faith  remained,  a 
union  were  practicable  under  existing  circumstances.  We 
must  remember  that  Mohammedanism,  with  all  its  chains 
bound  around  and  enslaving  Christianity,  still  survives.  We 
must  remember,  too,  that  our  Eastern  brethren  are  hardly 
in  a  state  duly  to  appreciate  and  earnestly  to  long  for  the 
blessings  of  unity.  Let  us  not  desire  the  thing  without  its 
spirit.  Let  us  not  strive  to  bring  about  a  merely  formal 
connexion,  but  to  base  it  upon  a  true  union  of  heart, — a 
union  which  cannot  be  thoroughly  effected  unless  both  they 
and  we  are  replenished  with  the  graces  of  the  Spirit,  and  are 
alive  to  the  truth  and  knowledge  of  God's  Holy  Word.  Let 
there  be  no  hasty  and  unauthorized  amalgamations, but  let  our 
first,  great  effort  be  to  revive,  with  the  divine  blessing,  in  the 
hearts  of  our  brethren  and  in  our  own,  a  juster  appreciation 
of  the  true  faith  and  a  life  of  holiness  and  love.  So  shall 
there  be  a  sure  preparation  for  the  glorious  fabric  of  Christian 
Union,  and  so  shall  our  fabric  rise  not  on  the  shifting  sands 
of  human  opinion  and  devices,  but  upon  the  Everlasting 
Rock  of  our  Salvation,  Christ  Jesus,  our  Lord. 


VISIT    TO    THE 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

Leaving. — Change  of  Route. — Farewell  to  the  Patriarch. — Ride  to 
Mardin. — Illness. — Letters. — Popish  Intrigues. — Continued  Illness. — 
Transfer  of  Jezireh  to  the  Pashalic  of  Mossoul. — Romish  Arguments. 
— Syrian  Generosity. — Intrigue  Defeated. — New  Servant. — Fever  and 
Ague. —  Mussulmans  at  Church. — The  Cross,how  regarded  by  Moham- 
medans.— Use  of  the  Sign  of  it  among  the  Christians. 

MY  intention  had  been  to  go  back  from  the  monastery  to 
Jezireh  by  the  mountain  road,  and  continue  homeward  by  Sert 
and  Bitlis.  But  a  Providence,  at  the  time  inscrutable,  but  after- 
wards most  plainly  merciful,  frustrated  the  design.  The 
Kurds  were  now  up  in  arms,  and  the  road  from  the  monas- 
tery was  cut  off,  so  that  a  villager  lately  coming  from  a 
neighboring  district  was  obliged  to  make  a  detour  of  a  day 
or  two  to  avoid  them.  This  alone  might  not  have  deterred 
me,  but  as  the  object  of  my  journey  was  rather  to  learn  the 
state  of  the  Church  and  the  spirit  of  the  clergy  than  to  in- 
vestigate the  social  and  civil  condition  of  the  people,  and  as 
I  had  learned  most  that  I  wished  to  know  about  the  moun- 
tains, from  intelligent  persons  who  had  visited  and  resided 
in  them,  the  object  of  the  journey  did  not  seem  sufficient  to 
incur  any  considerable  risk  in  going  thither  myself.  Other 
reasons,  which  I  need  not  mention,  made  it  important  for  me 
to  turn  my  face  in  a  different  direction  ;  which  I  according- 
ly did.  The  Pasha  of  Mossoul  had  heard  of  the  rebellion 
among  the  Kurds,  and  was  now  approaching  rapidly  from 
the  Euphrates.  His  fires  could  be  seen  over  the  desert, 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  233 

wherever  he  pitched  his  camp,  for  the  next  night  the  spot 
would  show  a  vast  sea  of  flame  rolling  and  raging  in  every 
direction. 

I  had  intended  to  leave  on  the  12th,  but  my  business  not 
being  completed,  I  remained  till  the  13th,  and  was  then  de- 
tained another  day  by  a  severe  cold  which  I  had  caught  in 
the  night.  On  the  14th  I  was  no  better,  and  with  difficulty 
mustered  sufficient  resolution  to  prepare  for  my  journey. 
But  there  was  no  alternative.  The  result  of  my  visit  was 
such  as  to  require  the  utmost  expedition  in  my  movements, 
and  I  determined,  at  all  events,  to  reach  Mardin,  and  then 
shape  my  plans  as  Providence  might  permit.  In  the  course 
of  the  morning  I  had  a  farewell  interview  with  the  Pa- 
triarch, but  was  too  unwell  to  say  much.  Fortunately  little 
remained  to  be  said.  He  accompanied  me  down  stairs  and 
to  the  outer  gate,  where  stood  the  old  porter,  now  as  full  of 
benedictions  as  he  had  before  been  of  complaints.  Nearly 
every  person  in  the  monastery  came  down  to  bid  me  fare- 
well, and  when  I  mounted,  the  Patriarch  gave  me  his  blessing 
and  his  prayers.  Bishop  Matthew  could  not  leave  rne  thus, 
but  accompanied  me  to  the  city.  On  the  road  my  troubles 
were  increased  by  a  stroke  of  the  sun,  for  it  was  now  high 
noon  ;  and  when  I  reached  the  city,  my  brain  was  disordered, 
and  both  body  and  mind  in  a  state  of  extreme  suffering. 
Bishop  Matthew  took  me  to  his  house  adjoining  the  Church 
of  Mar  Behnain,  and  there  made  me  as  comfortable  as  cir- 
cumstances would  allow.  I  had  ordered  horses  to  be  in 
readiness  immediately  upon  my  arrival,  and  nothing  but 
utter  physical  inability  prevented  me  from  mounting.  But 
it  was  now  quite  out  of  the  question  ;  I  could  hardly  raise 
myself  from  the  ground.  Hoping  that  a  few  hours  rest 
might  relieve  me,  I  ordered  the  horses  to  be  brought  at  day- 
break, and  determined  to  spend  the  night  ;  or  rather  spent 
it  there  in  spite  of  my  determination  to  the  contrary. 

The  next  morning  my  head  was  somewhat  relieved,  but 


234  VISIT    TO   THE 

otherwise  I  was  more  unfit  for  travelling  than  before.  I  had 
nothing  to  do  but  to  submit,  and,  without  knowing  what  God 
would  bring  out  of  the  delay,  leave  the  future  to  him  and 
hope  for  the  best.  To  my  short-sighted  wisdom  it  seemed 
only  an  evil  which  endangered  the  best  interests  of  my  work, 
but  all  my  anxiety  was  overcome  by  a  last  resort — the  calm 
and  deep  conviction  that  it  would  in  some  way  unknown  to 
me,  and  which  I  could  not  by  any  stretch  of  imagination 
conceive,  work  for  good. 

The  next  day,  to  my  great  surprise,  letters  from  Con- 
stantinople reached  me.  I  had  given  orders  that  none 
should  be  sent,  as  I  was  to  be  constantly  moving  about,  and 
the  danger  of  losing  them  great.  They  were  brought  by 
the  young  Tafar  whom  I  had  met  near  Diabekir.  He  was 
on  his  way  to  Mossoul,  and  expected  to  find  me  there,  but 
hearing  that  there  was  a  Frank  in  the  city,  he  sent  the  let- 
ters to  me,  with  the  message  that  if  they  did  not  belong  to 
me,  I  would  return  them  within  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  I 
saw  him  some  months  afterwards  at  Constantinople,  when  he 
told  me  that  at  the  time  he  was  riding  post-haste  to  convey  to 
the  Pasha  of  Mossoul  the  news  that  the  district  of  Jezireh 
had  been  given  to  him.  Another  Tatar  was  only  a  few 
hours  behind  him,  and  the  trial  was  which  should  first  con- 
vey the  news  to  the  Pasha,  and  obtain  the  expected  bak- 
shish (present).  He  had  stopped  at  Mardin  only  to  change 
horses,  and  was  just  mounting,  when  he  heard  that  there  was 
Frank  in  the  city,  which  induced  him  to  send  the  letters  at 
a  venture,  not  knowing  whether  the  said  Frank  was  myself 
or  some  other  person.  He  was  himself  too  tired  and  too 
much  encumbered  with  his  travelling  dress  to  come  to  me 
speedily,  and  therefore  sent  them  by  the  hands  of  a  messen- 
ger. Had  the  information  which  induced  him  to  send  them 
been  delayed  for  a  minute  or  two,  the  letters  would  have 
gone  to  Mossoul.  When  I  opened  them  I  found  that  they 
contained  news  which  it  was  of  the  first  importance  I  should 


SYRIAN    CHUUCH.  235 

receive  before  leaving  Mardin.  I  was  now  as  glad  for  hav- 
ing been  detained,  as  I  had  only  the  day  before  been  tried 
by  the  very  same  delay.  Had  I  left  when  I  intended,  I 
should  probably  have  passed  the  Tatar  in  the  night,  or  met 
him  so  far  upon  the  road  that  it  would  have  been  difficult 
to  turn  back.  I  immediately  acted  upon  the  information 
contained  in  the  letters,  and  then  began  again  to  hope  that 
I  might  now  be  permitted  to  pursue  my  journey. 

But  another  still  more  urgent  cause  for  delay  was  in  pros- 
pect. Letters  soon  arrived  from  Mossoul  which  showed  that 
a  plot  had  been  formed  to  ruin  every  thing  which  I  had  ac- 
complished, and  these  very  letters  were  intended  to  embitter 
the  mind  of  the  Patriarch  against  me.  They  contained  the 
most  extravagant  misrepresentations  of  my  object  and  of  my 
Church,  conveyed  in  so  insidious  a  manner  that  it  seemed 
to  me  they  could  hardly  have  failed  to  accomplish  their  pur- 
pose if  I  had  been  absent.  They  were  addressed  to  Bishop 
Matthew,  who  was  requested  to  lay  them  before  the  Patri- 
arch. But  Bishop  Matthew  thought  it  his  first  duty  to 
bring  them  to  me,  saying,  as  he  opened  them,  "  'As  ye 
would  that  others  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them.' 
It  is  not  right  that  you  should  be  injured  by  secret  foes, 
If,  as  I  believe,  the  statements  contained  in  these  letters  are 
false,  you  can  easily  refute  them  ;  and  were  the  case  reversed, 
I  should  expect  so  much  justice  to  be  done  me,  as  to  make 
them  known  to  me."  It  proved  to  be,  as  the  letters  fully 
showed,  a  machination  of  the  Papists.  The  whole  history  of 
the  affair  was  detailed,  and  authorities  given,  so  that  there 
could  be  no  mistake  about  the  origin  of  the  plot.  The  read- 
ing of  the  letters  excited  me  so  much,  that  though  burning 
and  parched  with  fever,  and  unable  to  sit  up,  I  entered  into 
a  long  conversation  on  the  subject,  which  occupied  us  all 
the  rest  of  the  day  and  evening.  I  succeeded  in  showing 
him  by  the  clearest  proofs,  that  the  whole  story  was  a  false- 
hood, and  could  have  arisen  only  from  a  deadly  hostility  to 


236  VISIT    TO    THE 

my  Church.  I  told  him,  moreover,  that  I  must  be  satisfied 
as  to  the  result  of  the  plot  before  I  left,  and  for  this  purpose 
would  return  to  the  monastery  as  soon  as  I  was  able.  But 
I  was  in  no  state  to  do  this  at  present.  A  profuse  perspira- 
tion had  relieved  me  of  my  cold,  but  left  me  with  a  severe 
billious  attack,  from  which  I  could  not  hope  to  escape  so 
easily.  Bishop  Matthew,  who  had  remained  with  me,  gave 
me  a  decoction  of  prunes  and  tamarinds,  from  which  I  re- 
ceived immediate  relief.  But  a  strong  fever  prevailed  during 
the  day,  accompanied  with  great  weakness  and  slight  shiv- 
ering. The  Bishop  tended  me  assiduously,  and  for  a  week 
after  never  left  my  side,  excepting  at  the  hours  of  prayer, 
when  he  would  repair  to  the  Church,  and  immediately  after 
the  close  of  the  service  return  to  me  again.  To  his  kind 
and  skilful  attention  I  was  doubtless  indebted  for  being 
saved  from  a  protracted  illness  of  one  kind,  but  he  could 
not  save  me  from  another  which  immediately  followed,  and 
which  was  destined  to  be  my  companion  all  the  way  to  Con- 
stantinople. My  servant  was  also  prostrated  by  the  same 
disorder — the  fever  and  ague — and  lay  during  its  attacks 
complaining,  and  groaning,  and  crying  for  home.  The 
Bishop  himself  next  followed,  and  had  it  not  been  for  a 
faithful  Syrian  servant  whom  the  Patriarch  had  given  me, 
we  should  have  fared  but  poorly  in  the  emergency.  My 
letters  from  home,  full  of  kindness  and  good  news,  proved  a 
refreshing  cordial  to  my  spirits.  I  read  and  re-read  them 
till  I  had  them  almost  by  heart. 

Three  days  after  my  arrival,  there  came  four  Latin 
Priests  from  Aleppo,  who  reported  that  they  were  going 
to  Mossoul  and  Bagdad,  to  look  after  the  "  Freemasons" 
who  had  passed.  The  Freemasons  were  the  American 
missionaries,  and  these  men  were  sent  out  upon  their  traces 
as  soon  as  they  had  left  Aleppo,  and  had  dogged  them  thus 
far  upon  their  journey.  About  the  same  time  came  a  fir- 
man from  Constantinople,  transferring  the  rich  district  of 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  237 

Jezireh  to  the  Pasha  of  Mossoul.  The  young  Tatar  had 
succeeded  in  being  the  first  to  carry  the  good  news  to  the 
Pasha,  who  was  now  lying  with  his  army  before  Dara, 
contemplating  an  attack  upon  the  Kurds  in  the  mountains. 
He  afterwards  sent  forward  a  party  to  explore  the  passes, 
and  soon  after  despatched  a  force  of  1500  men,  who  finally 
succeeded  in  reducing  the  Kurds  to  submission.  The 
arrival  of  the  firman  was  announced  by  a  salute  from  the 
guns  of  the  town,  which  consisted  of  five  or  six  small  can- 
nons stationed  near  the  Mossoul  gate. 

The  next  day  a  letter  from  Azik  came,  from  which  I 
learned  that  the  Chaldean  Bishop  of  the  district  had  offered, 
through  the  aid  of  the  French  Consul  at  Bagdad,  to  rescue 
from  bondage  the  friends  of  all  the  Syrians  who  would  ac- 
knowledge the  Pope.  The  Syrian  priest  of  Azik,  who  had 
a  daughter  in  captivity,  had  been  himself  to  Bagdad  to  inter- 
cede for  her  release.  When  he  applied  to  the  French 
Consul  for  the  purpose,  he  was  told  that  if  he  accepted  the 
terms,  he  should  have  his  daughter.  The  priest  expostulated 
and  implored,  but  in  vain.  The  Consul  must  have  the 
"pound  of  flesh."  After  two  months  of  unsuccessful  en- 
treaty on  his  part,  and  unsuccessful  endeavors  to  convert 
him  on  the  other,  he  replied,  "  Though  my  daughter  were 
not  only  in  captivity,  but  condemned  to  death,  I  would  not 
consent  to  such  terms  for  her  release,"  and  returned  sad 
and  broken  hearted  to  his  native  place.1  While  these 
things  were  going  on,  the  Syrian  Patriarch  was  obtaining 
a  firman  for  the  relief  of  the  Christians  from  unjust  taxa- 
tion, and  with  a  liberality  worthy  of  the  man,  interceded 
for  them  without  distinction.  He  was  successful,  and  Syr- 
ians, Syrian  Papists,  Chaldeans,  and  Armenian  Papists  alike 
enjoyed  the  beneficial  effects  of  its  operation.  It  may  be 
said  that  France  does  not  protect  any  others  than  her  co- 

1  He  is  now  a  Bishop. 
11* 


238  VISIT    TO    THE 

religionists  in  the  East.  It  were  well,  then,  that  this 
should  be  understood,  for  her  claims  to  protect,  before  the 
Porte,  cover  all  the  Eastern  Churches.  But  it  does  not 
follow  that  this  protection  can  be  lawfully  made  an  instru- 
ment of  proselytism,  as  has  been  done  for  hundreds  of  years, 
especially  when  there  is  so  much  to  render  it  apparent  that 
this  proselytism  arises  not  from  any  regard  to  the  interests 
of  religion,  but  from  a  desire  to  extend  political  influence. 

July  18.  The  letters  from  Mossoul  were  sent  to  the 
Patriarch  with  a  verbal  message  from  myself.  The  mes- 
senger, who  was  a  man  of  rank  and  influence  in  the  Church, 
returned  before  evening  with  the  kindest  compliments  from 
the  Patriarch  to  myself,  and  a  special  message,  to  the  effect 
that  the  letters  from  Mossoul  were  in  themselves  of  no 
weight  whatever,  since  he  had  understood  the  origin  of 
them  from  previous  information.  As  to  the  substance  of 
them,  he  considered  it  utterly  frivolous,  that  his  own  course 
was  taken  and  he  should  not  swerve  from  it.  He  wished 
me  to  have  my  mind  perfectly  at  ease  on  this  matter,  and  to 
depart  in  peace.  He  sent  many  regrets  for  my  indisposi- 
tion, and  such  kindly  expressions  of  personal  regard  that 
my  heart  filled  at  once,  and  I  could  not  answer  a  word. 
Who  that  has  not  experienced  it,  can  tell  the  power  of  kind- 
ness under  such  circumstances?  It  is  great  anywhere, — in 
one's  own  home,  among  one's  familiar  friends,  in  health  and 
prosperity.  But  where  so  great  as  in  a  land  of  strangers, 
alone,  in  sickness  and  persecution? 

The  next  day,  one  of  the  priests  of  St.  Simon's  was  bu- 
ried, who  had  died  after  a  short  illness.  All  the  clergy 
were  present,  and  with  them  the  Patriarch,  who  had  come 
from  the  monastery,  partly  for  this  purpose,  and  partly,  as 
he  said,  to  see  me.  After  the  service  he  came  and  sat  with 
me  half  an  hour.  Before  leaving,  he  said  to  me  at  greater 
length  what  he  had  said  by  the  messenger  yesterday,  and 
when  he  left,  bade  me  again  a  kind  farewell. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  239 

I  now  began  to  hope  again  that  I  might  be  allowed  to 
depart,  but  I  was  detained  yet  two  days,  one  by  the  severity 
of  my  illness,  and  one  by  the  want  of  horses.  On  the  third 
day  I  finally  bade  adieu  to  my  Syrian  friends,  who  had  done 
every  thing  for  me  that  their  limited  means  and  knowledge 
allowed.  From  one  in  particular,  I  parted  with  deep  regret. 
Bishop  Matthew  had  been  for  a  week  my  physician,  my 
nurse,  and  my  companion.  He  was  seldom  away  from  my 
side,  and  when  present,  tended  me  with  all  the  solicitude 
and  kindness  of  a  father.  My  servant  had  recovered  from 
his  attack  of  fever  and  ague,  but  the  remedy  had  left  him  in 
so  weak  a  state,  that  he  was  of  no  use  to  me  for  the  remain- 
der of  the  journey.  My  new  servant  Michael,  who  was  a 
Syrian  by  birth,  and  had  been  for  some  years  an  inmate  of 
the  monastery,  was  a  strong  and  active  young  man,  fearless 
in  danger,  and  ready  for  any  duty  at  a  moment's  warning. 
He  was  invaluable  to  me,  and  more  than  supplied  all  the 
deficiencies  of  the  other. 

My  assaults  of  fever  and  ague  had  now  become  daily, 
and  I  had  every  reason  to  expect  that  they  would  accompany 
me  all  the  way  to  Constantinople.  My  head  too,  though 
relieved  when  I  sat  still,  began  to  throb  with  pain  as  soon 
as  I  assumed  any  quick  movement,  and  was  so  sensitive  to 
the  sun,  that  the  Jeast  exposure  almost  drove  me  mad.  All 
this  was  somewhat  discouraging,  especially  when  the  fever 
and  ague  were  upon  me ;  for  worse  than  all  its  effects  on  the 
•  body,  is  its  dispiriting  influence  on  the  mind.  But  I  had 
gained  all  the  benefit  that  could  be  expected  at  Mardin,  and 
I  was  unwilling  any  longer  to  be  a  burden  to  my  Syrian 
friends.  There  was  no  other  hope  but  in  reaching  Con- 
stantinople, where  I  should  find  proper  medical  attendance 
and  be  in  the  midst  of  skilful  friends.  Whether  I  should 
ever  reach  it,  seemed,  in  my  present  state,  extremely  doubt- 
ful, for,  besides  the  troubles  already  mentioned,  I  h'ad  a. 
«iore  subtle  disorder,  which  I  supposed  I  had  contracted 


240  VISIT    TO    THE 

from  the  hard  living  and  noxious  air  of  the  desert,  and  which 
might,  with  very  little  warning,  end  my  days.  It  was  a 
comfort,  however,  to  reflect  that  I  was  not  necessary  to  any 
good  purpose,  that  better  and  abler  men  than  I  could  be 
raised  up  to  take  my  place,  and  that  if  I  fell,  it  would  be  as 
best  became  me — with  my  harness  on.  In  sober  thought,  it 
seemed  hardly  probable  that  I  should  escape  unharmed  from 
the  scorching  sunbeams,  the  sleepless  nights,  the  bad  food, 
and  the  incessant  fatigue  of  the  journey ;  but  I  knew  of 
nothing  better  to  do,  and  therefore  made  the  best  of  the 
worst,  hoped  against  hope,  sought  counsel  at  a  source  which 
has  never  failed  me  in  such  extremities,  and  started  on  my 
journey  with  a  cheerful  if  not  a  joyous  heart. 

A  scene  occurred  at  the  Church  the  evening  before  I 
left,  with  which  I  will  close  my  reminiscences  of  Mardin. 
Several  Mussulman  women  came  in  immediately  after  pray- 
ers, with  their  children  in  their  arms,  which  they  presented 
to  the  priest,  and  kneeling  themselves  in  humble  attitude, 
had  prayers  read  over  them.  They  then  left  a  small  charity 
for  the  Church,  and  departed  in  a  reverent  and  becoming 
manner.  The  priest  assured  me  that  Mussulmans  some- 
times join  in  the  worship,  and  go  through  all  the  acts  of 
devotion  with  the  same  regularity  as  the  Christians,  kneel- 
ing, bowing,  and  prostrating  themselves,  but  never  making 
the  sign  of  the  cross,  which  is  considered  as  the  distinctive 
and  peculiar  badge  of  a  Christian.  The  Mussulmans  hold 
the  error  of  the  Docetae,  and  believe,  as  the  Koran  declares, 
that  Jesus  was  crucified  only  in  appearance.  If  one  argues 
upon  the  plain  declarations  of  the  Gospel,  they  say  that  our 
books  are  corrupted ;  and  if  you  attempt  to  prove  their  au- 
thenticity, they  reply  that  the  Koran  has  revealed  the  contrary, 
and  this  is  a  final  argument  with  them.  The  cross,  then, 
is  to  the  Mohammedan  a  stone  of  stumbling  and  rock  of 
offence,  and  being  so,  it  is  not  a  little  to  be  wondered  at 
that  the  Christians  have  so  universally  retained  it.  "  Ad 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  241 

omnem  progressum  atque  promotum,  ad  omnem  aditum  et  exi- 
tum,  ad  vestitum  et  calciatum,  ad  lavacra,  ad  mcnsas,  ad 
lumina,  ad  cubilia,  ad  sedilia,  qvacunque  nos  conversatio 
exercet,  frontem  crucis  signaculo  terimus."1  This  is  now 
as  true  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Tertullian,  though  the  sign 
is  not  made  upon  the  forehead  simply,  nor  is  it  used  in  so 
simple  a  manner  as  then.  The  idea  of  some  miraculous 
power  and  efficacy  is  very  commonly  attached  to  it,  al- 
though the  idea  itself  is  obviously  based  upon  the  primary 
notion  of  its  being  a  profession  of  faith  in  Christ.  The 
Eastern  Christians  often  make  it  with  little  thought  of  its 
original  use,  and  vainly  dispute  upon  the  proper  mode  of 
making  it.2  Yet  as  a  mark  of  distinction  between  them- 
selves and  the  Mohammedans,  it  is  interesting  to  observe 
how  universally  they  have  retained  it,  and  how  freely  they 
use  it,  and  the  very  remembrance  of  its  being  a  mark  of 
distinction,  has  helped  to  preserve  more  of  a  sense  of  its 
original  design  than  they  might  otherwise  have  retained. 
Its  use,  in  itself,  certainly  is  not  to  be  regretted  ;3  although 

1  At  every  going  forward  or  movement,  at  every  entrance  and  egress, 
in  putting  on  clothes  and  sandals,  in  washing,  at  meals,  at  candle  lighting, 
at  lying  down,  at  seating  ourselves,  whatever  business  occupies  us,  we 
mark  the  forehead  with  the  sign  of  the  Cross. —  TertuL  de  Cor.  Mil.  c.  3. 

2  There  are  two  points  of  dispute  concerning  it :  First,  as  to  the  num- 
ber of  fingers  with  which  it  is  to  he  made  ;  second,  as  to  the  order  in 
which  the  parts  of  the  body  are  to  be   touched.     Thus  the  Greeks  make 
it  with  three  fingers,  as  indicating  their  belief  in  the  Holy  Trinity,  and  in 
making  it,  touch  first  the  forehead,  then  the  breast,  then  the  right  shoulder, 
then  the  left. — The  Nestorians  make  it  in  the  same  manner  with  the 
Greeks.     The  Armenians,  with  three  fingers  also,  but  touching  the  left 
breast  before  the  right.     The    Syrians,  with  the  thumb  and  forefinger, 
and  in  the  same  order  with  the  Armenians. 

3  "  I  must  confess  that   there  is  something  affecting  in  this  simple 
outward  expression,  as  practised  by  the  Nestorians.  .  .  May  it   not  be 
that  the  abuse  of  such  symbols  by  the  votaries  of  the  Roman  See,  has 
carried  us  Protestants  to  the  other  extreme,  when  we  utterly  condemn 
the  simple  memento  of  the  cross  I"     The  Nestorians,  by  Dr.  Grant,  p.  68. 


242  VISIT    TO    THE 

we  could  well  wish  that  it  might  be  used  oftentimes  with 
more  reverence,  and  often  with  a  more  just  sense  of  the 
meaning  which  it  conveys, — "  By  this  sign  I  declare  myself 
to  be  a  follower  of  Christ,  and  my  trust  to  be  in  His  blessed 
passion  and  death.  To  Him  I  look  for  deliverance  from 
all  my  enemies,  and  for  direction  in  all  my  doings,  and  in 
token  of  this  faith  and  trust,  I  do  sign  myself  with  the  sign 
of  the  cross." 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  243 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

First  day's  Journey. — Visit  to  the  Patriarch  Elect. — Regulations  concern* 
ing  the  building  of  Churches  in  Turkey. — English  Churches. — The 
Patriarch  Elect.— Pigeon  Houses.— Diarbekir.— The  Church  of  St. 
Mary. — Visitors. — Fever  and  Ague  on  Horseback. — Sleeping  in  the 
Field. — A  Kind  Mussulman. — Trouble  at  the  Ferry. — A  hospitable 
Kizzilbash.— Visions  of  Home.— Warren  Hastings.— C.  J.  Rich.— Si- 


MY  first  day's  ride  brought  me  to  Khanik,  ten  hours  on 
my  way,  somewhat  fatigued,  but  grateful  that  I  was  so  much 
nearer  home.  Our  rate  of  travelling  was  the  slowest  walk, 
and  we  stopped  occasionally  to  rest.  At  Khanik,  for  want  of 
better  accommodations,  I  lodged  under  a  tree,  and  at  five 
P.  M.  went  through  my  regular  process  of  fever  and  ague. 
The  time  for  it  was  well  arranged,  as  I  could  ordinarily  ac- 
complish my  day's  journey  before  that  hour,  and  have  a 
whole  night  to  recruit  in.  My  object  was,  if  possible,  to 
reach  Samsoun  the  sixth  of  August,  knowing  that  the 
steamer  would  pass  that  day,  and  if  I  were  an  hour  too 
late,  I  must  wait  there  a  week.  To  accomplish  this,  it  was 
necessary  to  travel  a  good  stage  every  day,  for  fifteen  days. 
1  had  no  temptation  to  stop  on  the  road  while  strength  re- 
mained to  travel,  but  the  contrary  every  way.  Both  my 
health  and  my  engagements  required  me  to  be  in  Constan- 
tinople at  the  earliest  possible  moment,  and  it  was  some- 
thing to  have  such  an  object  of  interest  as  the  reaching 
Samsoun  on  a  certain  day.  The  uncertainty  of  finding 


244  VISIT    TO    THE 

post-horses  immediately  on  my  arrival  at  each  post-house, 
added  not  a  little  to  the  impulse  to  do  the  best  with  my  lit- 
tle strength.  The  first  day's  journey  seemed  to  have  im- 
proved me,  for  my  fever  was  lighter  than  usual,  and  I  started 
the  next  morning  with  fresh  courage. 

In  two  and  a  half  hours  we  passed  a  small  village  which 
was  deserted  when  I  last  came  by,  but  was  now  beginning 
to  be  occupied  again  by  the  peasants,  whom  the  famine  had 
scattered,  and  immediately  struck  off  to  the  Tigris,  about 
two  hours  distant.  We  forded  it  where  it  was  only  three 
feet  deep,  and  an  hour  after  reached  Kabbi  Keui,  a  large 
Syrian  village  where  the  Muphrian1  now  resides.  He  had 
been  driven  from  his  diocese  by  Bedr  Khan  Bey,  who 
wished  to  kill  him  for  some  complaint  which  he  had  pre- 
ferred against  the  Bey  before  the  Pasha  of  Diarbekir.  His 
diocese  is  Mediad,  an  important  district  in  the  Tour  moun- 
tains, and  his  seat  at  the  monastery  of  Mar  Gabriel,  seven- 
teen hours  from  Jezireh.  The  monastery,  he  said,  had  been 
rifled  by  the  Bey,  and  was  now  deserted.  I  met  him  at  the 
Church,  which  was  a  new  and  handsome  building  lately 
erected  by  the  villagers  themselves.  I  will  say  here,  in  or- 
der to  correct  some  wrong  impressions  which  are  enter- 
tained with  regard  to  the  Mohammedan  law  on  this  subject, 
that  it  forbids  the  building  of  Churches  on  new  sites,  but 
allows  the  repairing  of  old  ones,  or  their  re-erection  on  the 
old  sites,  and  also  the  erection  of  chapels  under  the  name 
of  Ibadet  Khanch,  (Prayer  Houses,)  as  a  part  of  a  private 
dwelling.  Under  cover  of  this  last  provision,  chapels  are 
sometimes  erected,  and  in  process  of  time  converted  into 
Churches.  For  this  purpose  nothing  more  is  necessary 
than  to  present  a  petition  for  a  firman  to  repair  the  build- 
ing, taking  care  to  speak  of  it  as  if  it  were  already  a 
Church  instead  of  a  chapel.  The  Turks,  into  whose  hands 

1  Patriarch  Elect  of  the  Syrian  Church. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  245 

the  business  comes  at  the  Porte,  barely  know  where  the 
building  is,  without  knowing  what  it  is.  Petitions  for  re- 
pairing Churches  are  brought  in  every  day,  and  this  passes 
as  one  of  them.  The  necessary  fees  are  paid  and  a  firman 
is  granted  for  the  repair  of  such  a  Church.  The  old  Ibadet 
Khanch  is  pulled  down,  and  a  Church  of  larger  dimensions 
is  erected  on  the  spot.  In  some  instances,  however,  the 
fraud  is  detected  by  the  Mussulman  neighbors,  and  I  know 
at  the  present  moment  two  Churches  in  Constantinople 
which  have  been  closed  by  the  Turks  on  account  of  a  pro- 
ceeding of  this  kind.  The  native  Papists  have  procured 
firmans  for  the  erection  of  chapels  wherever  any  of  their 
people  are  to  be  found,  and  in  several  places  they  have 
already  been  built.  One  that  I  have  seen  was  large  and 
commodious,  and  had  all  the  appearance  of  a  Church,  ex- 
cepting that  it  formed  a  part  of  the  Episcopal  residence. 
The  Porte  acted  doubtless  in  conformity  with  the  laws  of 
the  Empire  in  refusing  a  firman  for  the  English  Church  at 
Jerusalem,  unless,  as  I  have  heard  it  reported,  that  Church 
is  built  upon  the  site  of  an  old  one,  in  which  case  a  firman 
ought  to  have  been  granted  upon  proper  evidence  of  the 
fact.  An  attempt  was  made  some  years  ago  to  erect  an 
English  Church  in  the  village  of  Boujah,  near  Smyrna,  but 
no  firman  having  been  procured,  the  work  was  stopped  ere 
it  had  risen  above  the  foundation.  The  English  Church  in 
Smyrna  is  under  the  roof  of  the  Consulate,  and  that  in  Con- 
stantinople is  the  Embassy  Chapel,  erected  upon  ground 
belonging  to  the  British  Government.  I  know  not  whether 
there  are  any  other  English  Churches  in  the  Empire,  unless 
it  be  one  at  Alexandria  in  Egypt.  It  were  certainly  to  be 
desired  that  they  were  to  be  found  at  other  points,  for  exam- 
ple at  Beyrout,  Bagdad,  and  Erzroum ;  for  these,  if  for  no 
other  reasons  :  1,  for  the  benefit  of  English  travellers  arid 
residents;  2,  that  the  reproach  of  having  no  religion  be- 
cause we  are  not  seen  to  have  any  public  worship,  may  be 


246  VISIT    TO    THE 

taken  away ;  and  3,  for  the  beneficent  influence  which  they 
would  exert  upon  the  Eastern  Christians,  (especially  if  the 
services,  or  sermons,  were  sometimes  in  the  languages  of 
the  country).  A  worship  uncorrupted  by  superstitious 
usages,  yet  not  devoid  of  solemn  and  decent  ceremonies, 
the  propriety  and'orderly  demeanor  of  the  worshippers,  the 
services  in  a  language  understood  by  the  people,  and  espe- 
cially the  instructive  character  of  the  liturgy,  interspersed 
with  its  Psalms  and  Lessons  from  Holy  Writ,  could  not 
fail  to  exert  a  most  healthful  influence,  while  they  presented 
a  living  example  more  powerful  than  words. 

The  Muphrian,  Abdul  Ahad,  was  a  middle-aged  man, 
with  a  troubled  and  care-worn  expression  that  made  him 
appear  older  than  he  really  was.  He  sat  with  me  an  hour 
in  the  portico  of  the  Church,  while  I  reposed  upon  a  bed 
which  they  had  spread  for  me,  and  gave  me  an  excellent 
breakfast  of  young  pigeons,  which  refreshed  and  revived  me 
a  little,  so  that  I  was  able  to  sit  up  and  converse  with  him. 
What  I  had  to  say,  made  his  eye  sparkle  with  joy,  and  drove 
the  sorrowful  expression  from  his  features.  "  I  will  give 
you  my  prayers,"  he  said ;  "  it  is  all  that  I  have  to  give." 
He  had  been  two  years  absent  from  his  Diocese,  and  said 
that  he  could  never  return  while  Bedr  Khan  Bey  lived.1 

The  village  itself  was  of  most  singular  construction  and 
appearance.  Most  of  the  houses  were  very  high,  and  the 
whole  of  the  upper  part  above  the  first  story  was  given  to 

1  He  has  since  returned,  and,  I  am  grieved  to  add,  has  recently  been 
put  to  death,  by  order  of  this  Kurdish  chief.  He  had  been  sent  for  by 
the  Bey,  and  on  the  road  was  met  by  ten  armed  Kurds,  (one  of  them  a 
near  relation  of  Bedr  Khan  Bey,)  who  immediately  shot  him  down,  ripped 
him  open,  and  took  out  his  heart,  which  they  carried  away,  probably  as  a 
token  to  the  Bey  of  his  death.  This  infamous  man,  to  conceal  his  own 
agency  in  the  crime,  immediately  charged  it  upon  the  Syrians  themselves, 
and  fined  the  Syrian  village  nearest  to  the  place  of  the  murder,  15,000 
piastres,  (about  $600,)  for  having  murdered  their  own  Bishop  ! 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  247 

pigeons,  which  are  kept  for  the  sake  of  their  dung,  which 
is  sold  in  the  city,  and  used  for  the  rich  fruit-gardens  near 
the  town.  Thousands  of  pigeons  filled  the  air,  and  at  short 
intervals  we  heard  the  sharp  report  of  a  gun  which,  the 
people  said,  belonged  to  some  sportsmen  from  the  town,  who 
come  here  and  cruelly  deprive  them  of  the  fruit  of  their  la- 
bors.1 Both  here  and  in  Persia  the  manure  of  pigeons  is 
esteemed  the  best  for  the  culture  of  melons,  and  in  both 
countries  the  quality  of  the  fruit  fully  bears  out  the  recom- 
mendation. 

Anxious  to  reach  the  city  at  an  early  hour,  that  I  might 
gain  strength  for  the  long  stage  before  me  on  the  morrow,  I 
bade  adieu  to  the  Muphrian,  and  with  some  difficulty  was 
put  upon  my  horse,  where  1  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  hold 
on.  In  this  way  we  started,  and  soon  crossing  the  bridge, 
which  brought  us  again  to  the  right-hand  side  of  the  Tigris, 
reached  the  city  in  an  hour  from  Kabbi  Keui. 

The  Patriarch  had  given  me  a  letter  to  Diarbekir,  which 
proved,  when  it  came  to  be  delivered,  to  contain  an  order 
that  his  own  apartments  at  the  Church  of  St.  Mary  should 
be  opened  for  my  reception.  This  same  Church  is  a  cu- 
riosity in  its  kind,  being  apparently  one  of  the  oldest  that  I 
visited.  It  does  not  differ  materially,  however,  from  the 
common  description,  excepting  that  its  court  and  out-build- 
ings are  larger,  and  the  latter  more  numerous  than  I  have 
seen  elsewhere.  By  its  side  is  the  little  chapel  of  St.  James, 
and  on  one  side  of  the  court  is  an  apartment  where  the 
Patriarch  resides  when  he  is  in  the  city.  This  was  thrown 
open  for  me,  and  every  attention  that  my  state  required  or 
kindness  could  suggest,  was  shown  to  me.  Many  of  the 
Priests,  Deacons,  and  principal  men  came  to  see  me.  They 
have  no  Bishop  resident,  the  city  being  a  part  of  the  diocese 

1  I  asked,  "  Why  do  you  not  complain  of  them  1"  The  reply  was, 
"  They  are  Mussulmans — what  can  we  do  1" 


248  VISIT    TO    THE 

of  the  Patriarch.  I  was  pleased  with  the  appearance  of 
several  of  the  clergy,  some  of  whom  I  had  never  before  seen. 
They,  and  also  the  merchants,  seemed  more  intelligent  and 
sensible  men  than  most  that  I  had  seen  at  Mardin,  and  with 
some  of  them  it  was  a  real  pleasure  to  converse  A  few 
Papal  Syrians,  who  were  old  acquaintances,  also  called,  so 
that  my  time  passed  agreeably  until  the  ague  came,  true  to 
its  hour.  I  could  see  that  these  diurnal  attacks,  combined 
with  the  fatigue  of  travelling,  were  bringing  me  into  a  very 
bad  condition,  but  there  was  no  relief  but  patience.  My 
friends  at  D.  gave  me  a  drink  made  of  liquorice,  which 
they  said  was  a  wholesome  refrigerant,  and  supplied  me 
with  a  large  quantity  of  the  root  for  my  use  on  the  road.  I 
had  a  comfortable  night's  sleep  after  the  fever  had  gone, 
and  rose  a  brighter  man  in  the  morning. 

The  next  day  (July  24)  we  came  to  Argana,  over  the  te- 
dious plain.  Here,  for  the  first  time,  the  fit  seized  me  on 
the  road,  and  the  suffering  which  it  cost  me  was  dreadful 
beyond  description.  How  much  easier,  I  thought,  it  would 
be  to  die.  There  was  no  village  to  which  we  could  turn 
aside,  nothing  to  do  but  to  press  on  to  Argana,  which  we 
reached  after  dark.  I  had  foreseen  that  we  should  not 
reach  our  lodgings  before  the  ague  came,  and  had  attempted 
to  force  a  march  so  as  to  arrive  earlier.  But  any  motion 
quicker  than  a  walk  brought  on  immediately  the  effects  of 
the  sun-stroke,  and  sent  such  excruciating  pains  through  my 
head  as  made  me  almost  curl  with  torture.  At  Argana  the 
guide,  instead  of  entering  the  town,  conducted  me  along  a 
path  below  it  until  we  had  quite  passed  it,  and  were  in  the 
country  beyond.  Here,  however,  was  the  post-house,  or 
rather  its  occupants,  out  of  doors  at  pasture.  We  had  no 
alternative  but  to  content  ourselves  with  the  same  accommo- 
dations, and  sleep  upon  the  ground,  a  necessity  which  under 
other  circumstances  would  have  been  the  greatest  luxury — 
no  fleas,  no  dirt,  the  air  pure  and  sweet,  your  canopy  the 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  249 

broad  heavens.  Besides  the  nature  of  the  lodgings,  there 
was  nothing  to  eat;  but  this  also  was  no  great  deprivation, 
for  had  there  been,  it  would  have  been  yo-oort,  which  all 
my  native  friends  had  strictly  charged  me  not  to  touch. 
Indeed,  my  first  and  last  concern  was  to  repose,  The  fever, 
as  well  as  the  ague,  had  passed,  and  had  left  me  in  so  weak 
a  state  that  any  couch  was  comfortable.  My  cloak  was  soon 
spread,  with  my  saddle  for  a  pillow,  and  before  my  servants 
had  finished  their  duty  of  arranging  and  securing  the  bag- 
gage, I  was  fast  asleep. 

The  next  morning  I  arose  fresh  and  bright,  with  an  ap- 
petite sharpened  by  twenty-four  hours  abstinence,  but  which 
there  was  no  means  of  relieving  until  we  reached  Argana 
Maden,  four  hours  on  our  road.  Here  we  obtained  a  break- 
fast, a  most  unsatisfactory  one  however,  as  the  only  articles 
which  the  market  afforded  were  eggs,  milk,  and  yo-oort,  all 
which  had  been  proscribed  by  my  good  friends  at  Mardin. 
We  spent  the  whole  day  in  going  over  the  Taurus,  and  did 
not  stop  again  until  we  reached  a  village  upon  the  plain  of 
Kharpout,  having  rode  thirty  miles  without  dismounting. 
The  day's  tribulation  came  on  close  by  the  little  lake  of 
Gheuljuk.  I  had  determined  not  to  endure  again  what  I  did 
yesterday,  but  to  throw  myself  upon  the  ground  as  soon  as 
the  fit  seized  me,  and  lie  there  until  it  was  over.  Fortunate- 
ly, however,  it  was  somewhat  lighter,  and  I  found  myself, 
though  still  suffering  intensely,  able  to  keep  my  horse.  We 
stopped  at  the  first  village  on  the  plain,  where  we  obtained 
admission  to  a  Mussulman  house,  an  excellent  dinner,  and  a 
comfortable  bed.  The  master  made  every  effort  to  please 
me,  and  declined  all  reward  for  it, — an  instance  of  human- 
ity which  deserves,  at  least,  a  record.  He  even  waited  upon 
me  in  person,  requested  me  to  make  out  my  own  bill  of  fare 
for  such  articles  as  I  could  eat,  and  attended  himself  to  see 
it  executed,  which  was  done  in  a  style  that  did  honor  to  his 
hospitality. 


250  VISIT    TO    THE 

July  26.  We  started  at  dawn  and  rode  to  Merizah, 
where  we  changed  horses  and  breakfasted.  To  keep  up 
with  the  plan  of  my  journey,  it  was  necessary  to  reach  Kab- 
ban  Maden  to-day,  which  we  accomplished  by  another  ride 
of  thirty  miles,  making  about  forty  for  the  day.  When  I 
came  to  dismount  at  the  ferry  of  Kabban  Maden,  I  found 
myself  unable  to  walk,  or  even  to  stand  without  difficulty. 
From  some  cause,  at  the  time  unknown,  my  feet  and  legs 
had  gradually  swollen,  until  they  became  unmanageable  and 
almost  without  sense  or  life.  The  attack  of  fever  had  pass- 
ed on  the  road,  but  as  soon  as  I  touched  the  ground  I  began 
to  feel  the  most  excruciating  pains  in  my  back,  from  which 
I  could  find  no  relief  but  by  lying  down  and  suffering  the 
men  to  carry  me  into  the  boat,  like  a  bale  of  goods,  and  lay 
me  down  among  the  cattle.  When  we  reached  the  opposite 
side,  I  was'  taken  out  and  conveyed  to  the  post-house  near 
by,  where  I  was  laid  upon  a  bench  in  the  coffee-shop.  Sev- 
eral old  Mussulmans  gathered  round  me,  and  began  to  pre- 
scribe. One  wished  to  tie  a  string  on  my  wrist,  and  say  a 
prayer  or  incantation  over  it ;  but  I  rejected  the  remedy, 
although  he  pronounced  it  to  be  a  sovereign  one.  Another 
advised  me  to  be  kneaded,  and  feeling  within  myself  that 
this  would  be  agreeable,  I  submitted  to  it.  They  then 
turned  me  over  on  my  face,  and  Michael,  taking  off  his 
shoes,  mounted  upon  my  back,  and  jumped  up  and  down 
upon  me,  to  my  great  delight  and  relief.  The  operation, 
rude  as  it  was,  had  the  desired  effect,  for  until  then  I  could 
not  stir  without  putting  myself  into  an  agony  of  pain.  It 
was  followed  up  by  several  men  kneading  me  with  their  fists, 
after  which  I  fell  into  a  quiet  sleep,  which  lasted  four  hours. 
When  I  awoke,  day  had  opened,  and  it  was  time  to  mount. 
Upon  attempting  to  rise,  I  found  that  though  the  pain  was 
not  entirely  gone,  I  was  able  to  stand  and  walk.  There 
was  no  profit  in  remaining  there,  and  I  had  no  doubt  that  I 
could  find  physicians  of  the  same  sort  at  every  stopping- 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  251 

place.     So  I  made  a  present  to  the  practitioner  who  had  re- 
commended the  kneading,  bade  them  adieu,  and  mounted. 

I  came  before  night  to  a  pasturage-ground  of  the  people 
of  Argaoun,  where  I  found  the  villagers  of  Suleimanieh 
scattered  over  the  country,  feeding  their  flocks,  and  among 
them  the  post-master  with  his  horses.  He  had  a  tent  close 
by,  to  which  he  invited  me  for  the  night,  and  when  he  saw 
my  condition,  treated  me  kindly.  Thus  it  is  that  in  the 
rudest  state  man  feels  for  his  fellow,  and  we  never  reach  so 
low  a  grade  of  humanity  that  we  do  not  find  at  least  some 
who  retain  the  nobler  traits  of  our  nature.  He  was  indeed 
very  kind,  and  put  himself  to  much  trouble  on  my  account, 
and  gave  me  the  best  of  every  thing  that  he  had,  and  tended 
me  during  the  fever  attack  with  unceasing  assiduity.  I  have 
had  to  record  some  harsher  reflections,  but  it  gives  me  more 
pleasure  to  record  those  which  speak  well  for  my  kind.  My 
host  was  one  of  the  Kizzilbashes,  of  whom  I  had  always 
been  taught  to  think  ill.  I  shall  hereafter  think  better  of 
his  whole  race  for  his  sake.  One  little  incident  reminded 
me  of  home,  and  brought  to  my  mind  such  a  throng  of  teem- 
ing recollections  that  I  could  not  withstand  them,  but  gave 
myself  up  to  the  pleasing  illusions  which  they  created.  One 
of  the  dishes  which  he  set  before  me  was  veritable  apple- 
sauce, just  such  as  might  have  come  from  the  hand  of  a  tidy 
New-England  country  dame.  How  many  sweet  visions 
grew  out  of  that  apple-sauce,  and  recollections  of  days  gone 
by,  when  with  my  gun  and  dog  I  used  to  ramble  in  the 
woods  and  over  the  farms,  and  repose  at  night  in  some  rude 
cottage,  where  the  matron  would  bring  out  her  best  stores  of 
tea,  and  dough-nuts,  and  apple-sauce,  and  when  the  board 
was  cleared,  would  sit  down  to  talk  about  my  old  grandfather, 
"  the  Squire,"  as  his  name  went  among  the  country  folk, 
and  tell  me  stories  of  the  youthful  days  of  "  the  young 
Squire,"  my  father,  which  I  should  never  have  heard  from 
his  own  honored  lips.  How  little  the  good  woman  thought 


252  VISIT    TO    THE 

that  these  recollections  should  come  back  to  regale  me  in 
hours  of  lonely  sickness,  in  a  Kizzilbash's  tent,  on  an  Asiatic 
upland.  Bless  the  old  dame!  had  she  ever  heard  of  Asia  or 
a  Kizzilbash  ? 

The  next  day  we  pushed  on  to  Hassan  Tchelebi,  a  stage 
of  thirty-six  miles,  which,  with  an  unusually  severe  attack  of 
fever  and  ague  on  horseback, completely  exhausted  me.  I  rode 
up  at  once  to  the  Agha's  tent,  and  without  asking  permission 
or  waiting  for  invitation,  was  taken  from  my  horse  and  laid 
upon  the  carpet  within.  The  Agha  was  my  old  acquaintance, 
but  an  hour  or  two  passed  before  I  could  muster  strength  to 
give  him  the  selam.  He  did  not  seem  to  recognize  me,  so 
much  had  illness  and  travel  "  changed  my  countenance," 
and  to  save  myself  the  trouble  of  talking  with  him,  I  made 
no  effort  to  revive  his  recollection. 

The  next  day  we  proceeded  with  an  escort  to  Kangal, 
twelve  hours,  and  the  day  following,  to  Ulash, where  I  met  with 
a  most  inhospitable  reception  from  Christians,  after  I  had  for 
the  most  part  been  treated  with  kindness  by  Mussulmans. 
The  villagers  were  Armenians,  and  had  evidently  fallen  from 
the  prosperous  condition  in  which  I  found  them  three  years 
before.  Then  they  received  me  kindly,  perhaps  because  I 
had  a  Tatar  with  me ;  now  I  entreated  in  vain  for  a  place  to 
lay  my  head.  I  had  travelled  a  long  stage,  and  was  in  great 
distress,  but  they  met  all  my  entreaties  with  that  cringing, 
sulky  manner  which  seems  inwrought  by  oppression  and  ill- 
usage  into  the  character  of  many  of  the  Christians  in  the 
interior.  I  begged  and  promised  and  remonstrated  in  vain, 
until  Michael  stepped  up  to  the  kiahya.  of  the  village,  and 
told  him  that  if  he  did  not  instantly  give  me  a  house,  he 
would  flog  him  on  the  spot.  This  mode  of  appeal  had  at 
once  the  desired  effect,  and  in  less  than  five  minutes,  I  was 
lying  upon  my  carpet  in  a  comfortable  apartment.  Strange 
to  tell,  it  had  other  good  effects,  for  the  people  at  once  be- 
came civil  and  treated  me  with  much  respect ;  so  inseparably 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  253 

are  violence  and  power  associated  in  their  minds.  He  who 
can  threaten  and  bluster  and  frighten  them,  must  be  some 
great  man,  and  instead  of  being  hurt  by  his  threats,  they 
think  the  better  of  him  for  it,  and  begin  to  serve  him  with 
reverence  and  even  with  cheerfulness.  I  have  often  thought 
of  the  character  of  Warren  Hastings  as  an  admirable  speci- 
men of  an  Oriental  ruler ;  and  sure  I  am  that  if  those  who 
persecuted  him  at  home,  could  have  understood  the  country 
and  people  whom  he  had  to  govern,  they  would  have  seen 
that  what  would  have  been  blameworthy  and  indeed  imprac- 
ticable in  England,  was  the  foundation  of  his  success  in 
India.  They  misjudged  him  by  judging  only  with  English 
feelings,  and  applying  an  English  standard  where  it  was 
inapplicable.  Though  he  had  faults,  his  system  was  in  the 
main  right,  and  hence  it  was  that  those  who  knew  India  by 
a  long  residence,  were  his  most  ardent  admirers.  Another, 
in  a  narrower  sphere,  but  more  estimable  in  a  moral  point  of 
view,  was  Claudius  James  Rich,  Esq.,1  whose  name  is  still 
and  will  be  long  remembered  by  the  people  of  Mesopotamia, 
Profuse  and  ostentatious,  yet  wisely  so;  endowed  with  a  large 
and  noble  spirit  of  liberality,  yet  firm,  vigorous  and  decided  ; 
prompt  and  bold  in  action,  yet  humane  and  just ;  he  exhibited 
those  very  qualities  which  are  best  fitted  to  work  upon  an 
Oriental  mind.  He  was  admired,  feared  and  beloved.  The 
people  still  talk  of  what  seemed  to  them  his  almost  regal 
expenditure,  his  princely  generosity,  and  "  his  acts  and  all 
that  he  did,"  with  an  enthusiasm  which  shows  how  deep  was 
the  impression  that  he  created. 

July  31.  We  left  before  day,  and  rode  six  hours  to 
Sivas  in  the  cool  of  the  morning.  To  keep  up  with  my  plan, 
I  ought  to  have  reached  the  city  last  evening,  and  according- 
ly we  had  to-day's  journey  still  before  us.  But  as  no 
horses  were  ready  at  Sivas,  we  were  compelled  to  remain 

1  Late  British  Resident  at  Bagdad. 
13 


254  VISIT    TO    THE 

and  lose  the  day.  The  post-master  with  whom  I  had  the 
conflict  on  my  journey  Southward,  was  absent,  but  the 
keeper  of  the  cafe  attached  to  the  post-house,  who  was 
himself  a  Mussulman,  and  a  descendant  of  Mohammed, 
assured  me  that  there  had  been  a  visible  improvement  in 
his  manners  since  that  memorable  occasion. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  255 


CHAPTER    XX. 

Leave  Sivas. — Armenian  Monastery. — Entrance  to  Tocat. — Trouble 
with  a  Post-master. — Expense  of  Travelling  in  Turkey. — Henry  Mar- 
tyn. — His  Grave. — Mussulmans  of  Tocat. — The  Mosques  and  Medres- 
sehs. — Mecca. — The  Armenians  of  Tocat. — Their  Church. — Other 
Christians. — The  Jews. —  Serious-minded  Christians. —  Evil  of  the 
Church  Services  being  unintelligible. — Objections  to  translations  for 
Public  Use.— Turkish  Honesty. — Effects  of  Disease. — Leave  Tocat. — 
Guard-House. 

AUG.  1.  I  did  not  obtain  horses  till  this  morning,  and 
how  I  was  to  reach  Samsoun  in  time  for  the  steamer  was 
exceedingly  problematical.  One  whole  day  had  been  cut 
out  of  the  fifteen,  and  there  was  left  just  one  day's  stage 
more  than  I  felt  myself  able  to  perform  before  the  6th. 
However  I  took  heart  of  hope,  and  determined  to  do  the 
best  in  my  power.  We  left  Sivas  with  a  small  guard,  and 
came  before  night  to  a  small  village,  where  the  Mussulmans 
treated  me  well,  gave  me  a  good  supper,  and  made  a  rous- 
ing fire  for  my  comfort.  About  a  quarter  of  an  hour  from 
the  city,  we  passed  a  large  Armenian  monastery  called 
Surp  Nishan,  Holy  Cross,  where  there  is  a  Bishop  resident. 
It  is  a  place  of  great  resort  for  the  Christians  on  Sundays 
and  other  festivals.  I  was  struck  with  the  neatness  of 
every  thing  around  it,  which,  with  the  rich  green  fields  and 
waving  grain  on  every  side,  betokened  ease  and  abundance. 
The  buildings,  too,  were  apparently  new  and  extensive, 
presenting  altogether  a  spectacle  which  struck  me  the  more 


256  VISIT    TO    THE 

from  the  contrast  with  the  pictures  of  decay  and  ruin  that 
generally  prevail  in  Turkey. 

The  next  day  we  reached  Tocat.  Both  the  approaches 
to  the  city  from  the  South  are  romantic  in  the  extreme. 
The  one  is  called  the  Winter,  the  other  the  Summer  road. 
I  had  once  come  in  by  the  former,  but  we  now  took  the  lat- 
ter, which  is  more  difficult,  and  in  the  winter  hardly  passable. 
It  led  us  through  extensive  forests  and  greenwood  shades, 
by  rivulets  gushing  from  the  mountains,  and  along  wire- 
drawn paths,  down,  down,  down,  until  we  seemed  to  be  going 
into  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  There  must  have  been  three 
hours  or  more  of  this  descent  before  we  reached  the  town. 
It  is  the  same  in  the  other  road,  where  the  traveller  descends 
ten  miles,  almost  without  interruption,  through  a  deep  and 
narrow  ravine,  amidst  a  succession  of  beautiful  scenes 
which  the  windings  of  the  path  gradually  reveal,  until  he 
emerges,  through  vineyards  and  gardens,  into  the  city.  I 
remember  that,  travelling  this  road  in  the  month  of  March, 
the  whole  country  from  Sivas  to  Hassan  Tchelebi,  excepting 
the  plain  of  Ulash,  was  covered  deep  with  snow.  The  snow 
was  lying  in  drifts  in  the  streets  of  Sivas,  and  our  course 
north-  of  the  city  towards  Tocat,  was  interrupted  by  fre- 
quent patches,  sometimes  extending  for  miles.  Yet  when 
we  reached  Tocat,  every  thing  wore  the  appearance  of 
advanced  spring.  Trees  were  putting  forth  their  leaves 
and  even  their  blossoms,  the  town  was  dry,  and  the  air  was 
warm  and  genial. 

It  was  now  August,  and  some  of  the  fruits  were  ripe, 
especially  the  large  and  luscious  pears,  the  like  of  which  I 
have  never  seen  in  Turkey.  I  could  not  resist  the  tempta- 
tion to  taste  them,  especially  as  the  good  people  told  me 
that  it  would  do  no  harm.  At  the  post-house  I  had  the 
misfortune  to  hold  another  altercation  with  a  post-master. 
He  of  Tocat  might  have  been  brother  to  him  of  Sivas.  I 
had  been  fortunate  enough  to  arrive  before  the  ague  came 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  257 

on.  When  I  felt  it  approaching,  I  asked  for  a  bed.  The 
post-master,  in  a  most  insolent  tone,  told  me  to  lie  on  the 
boards.  I  instantly  rose  upon  my  feet,  and  gave  him  a  lec- 
ture five  minutes  long,  telling  him  before  them  all,  that  if 
he  was  brute  enough  to  treat  me  thus,  I  was  not  brute 
enough  to  bear  it ;  and  if  he  did  not  instantly  change  his 
manners,  I  would  have  him  punished,  if  there  was  any  power 
in  the  Sultan's  firman  which  I  carried.  He  said  not  a  word, 
but  the  bed  was  immediately  provided.  When  I  rose  again, 
after  three  or  four  hours,  he  came  to  inquire  after  my  health, 
and  from  that  moment  became  very  obsequious  in  his  atten- 
tions. His  new  friendship,  however,  did  not  prevent  him 
from  quietly  cheating  me  the  next  morning  by  making  me 
pay  for  two  hours  more  than  the  stage  that  his  horses  were 
to  travel.1 

One  cannot  pass  by  Tocat  without  being  reminded  of 
the  man  whose  remains  repose  there  in  the  hope  of  a  joyful 
resurrection,  and  whose  example  has  done  so  much  to  awa- 
ken a  lively  zeal  in  behalf  of  the  pagan  nations,  both  in  Eng- 
land and  America.  On  a  former  occasion  one  of  my  first 
visits  was  to  the  humble  grave  of  HENRY  MARTYN,  which 
lies  in  one  of  the  Armenian  cemeteries,  on  the  East  side  of 
the  town,  and  quite  beyond  the  limits  of  its  population.  It 
is  a  lowly  grave,  even  among  the  thousands  which  surround 
it,  and  one  who  was  not  in  search  of  it,  might  pass  it  with- 
out observing  it.  The  stone  which  covers  it  is  in  no  way 
distinguished  from  the  others  around  it,  excepting  by  the 

1  In  Turkey  the  stages  are  marked  by  hours,  and  the  post-rates  are 
generally  two  piastres  a  horse  per  hour,  the  hour  being  the  distance  that  a 
man  walks  in  that  time,  or  about  three  miles.  The  piastre  is  about  four 
cents,  or  twopence  sterling.  The  rate,  then,  is  about  fourpence  for  three 
miles.  A  single  traveller  generally  needs,  in  long  journies,  one  horse  for 
himself,  one  for  his  servant,  one  for  his  baggage,  and  one  for  the  guide, 
the  expense  of  which  will  be  about  fivepence  a  mile,  and  his  other  ex- 
penses, for  food,  lodging,  &c.,  may  be  reckoned  at  a  dollar  (Spanish)  per 
diem. 


258  VISIT    TO    THE 

inscription,  and  perhaps  the  more  than  ordinary  meanness 
of  its  dimensions,  being  only  about  three  and  a  half  feet 
long,  by  one  broad.  It  lies  flat  upon  the  ground  after  the 
manner  of  the  Armenian  grave  stones,  and  bears  the  follow- 
ing inscription: 

REV.  VIR. 

GUG.  MARTINO 

SACER.  AC  Miss.  ANGLO 

QUEM    IN   PATR.    REDI. 
DOMINUS. 

me  BERISAE  AD  SB.  voc. 

FIUM   D.    FIDEL.   G.    SER. 

A.  D.  MDCCCXII. 
HUNG  LAP.  CONSAC. 

C.  I.  R. 
A.D.    MDCCCXIII.' 

The  burying-ground  lies  upon  the  slope  of  the  hill 
which  bounds  the  town  on  the  East,  and  looks  down  upon 
the  city.  At  the  foot  of  the  hill  are  extensive  gardens;  far- 
ther to  the  right  is  a  glimpse  of  the  river,  which  runs  through 
the  valley  on  the  Northern  side  of  the  town,  while  in  the 
distance  on  all  sides  are  the  mountain  heights  which  inclose 
the  city.  I  made  inquiries,  but  could  learn  nothing  more  of 
the  sickness  and  death  of  the  missionary  than  has  already 
been  given  to  the  public.  One,  I  remember,  an  old  man, 

1  The  whole  form,  without  abbreviation,  I  suppose  to  be  as  follows: 
Reverendo  viro,  Guglielemo  Martina,  Sacerdoti  ac  Missionario  Anglo, 
quern  in  Patriam  redientem,  Dominus,  hie  Berisae,  ad  suam  beatudincm 
vocavit,  pium,  doctum,  fidclemque  aervum,  A.  D.  MDCCCXII.  Unur 
lapidem  consrcravit  (consacramf)  C.  I.  R.  A.  D.  MDCCCXIII. — There 
is  a  mistake  in  the  Christian  name,  which  should  be  Henrico.  Berisa  is 
the  ancient  name  of  Tocat,  and  C.  /.  R.  is  Claudius  James  Rich,  Esq., 
Late  British  Resident  at  Bagdad. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  259 

reported  him  to  be  the  son  of  a  Prince,  who  was  returning 
to  his  own  land.  How  little  he  knew  of  the  bright  gem  of 
learning  and  piety  that  was  mouldering  beneath  that  hum- 
ble stone ! 

The  remembrance  of  Martyn's  labors  for  the  Mussul- 
mans of  Persia,  gar:e  an  uncommon  interest  to  my  inquiries 
among  the  Mohammedans  of  Tocat,  among  whom  he  died. 
I  found  them  for  the  most  part  unusually  free  from  preju- 
dices, although  there  were  some  who  repelled  my  advances 
with  insolence  and  scorn.  For  three  days  I  went  freely 
among  them,  visited  their  mosques  and  Medressehs  (colleges), 
and  conversed  with  them  about  their  religion  without  re- 
straint or  hinderance.  They  seemed  to  me,  in  general,  as 
free,  affable,  and  frank  as  I  have  ever  found  Mussulmans  to 
be  in  Turkey.  A  student  from  one  of  the  Medressehs  went 
with  me  to  the  mosques,  and  conducted  me  into  one  at  the 
hour  of  prayers,  without  appearing  at  all  aware  of  any  im- 
propriety in  the  act.  Most  of  the  buildings  were  of  mean 
appearance,  some  of  them  ruined,  and  none  of  them  very 
large  or  beautiful.  The  largest  of  the  Medressehs  contained 
only  sixteen  students,  and  all  of  them  were  miserably  provided 
with  teachers  and  means  of  instruction.  I  remember  among 
my  acquaintances,  one  who  had  performed  the  pilgrimage 
to  Mecca,  and  entertained  me  with  the  most  marvellous 
stories  of  the  pilgrimage  and  the  holy  city.  There  were,  he 
said,  exactly  70,009  pilgrims  present  every  year.  The  city 
itself  was  the  centre  of  the  earth,  which  he  supposed,  in 
common  with  Mussulmans  generally,  to  be  a  great  plain. 
The  days  and  nights  were  always  equal  there,  and  the  tem- 
perature, always  the  same.  This  last,  however,  he  thought 
no  great  recommendation,  as  when  he  was  there,  it  was  al- 
most too  hot  to  live.  The  Mussulmans  of  Tocat  are  about 
5009  families,  and  are  chiefly  Osmanlees. 

The  Christians  are  Armenians,  Papal  Armenians,  and 
Greeks ;  and  there  a  few  Jews,  who  have  a  synagogue.  The 


260  VISIT    TO    THE 

Armenians  reported  the  number  of  their  Churches  to  me  to 
be  seven,  but  I  visited  only  one,  which  was  a  new  building, 
very  neat  in  construction  and  arrangement.  The  simplicity 
of  the  interior  almost  made  me  imagine  myself  in  a  Church 
of  our  own.  There  were  a  few  paintings,  evidently  intended 
for  decoration  only,  and  placed  too  high  to  be  used  for  any 
other  purpose. 

The  Armenians  of  Tocat  had  a  Vartabed  resident,  and 
two  monasteries  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  city.  They  are 
altogether  the  most  important  part  of  the  Christian  com- 
munity and  by  far  the  most  numerous,  for  while  they  have 
1200  families,  the  Greeks  have  only  110,  and  the  Papal 
Armenians  100.  The  Greeks  have  a  Church,  and  the 
Romish  Armenians  an  Ibadet-khaneh,  or  Chapel,  connected 
with  their  Episcopal  residence.  The  Jews,  who  are  alto- 
gether no  more  than  25  families,  have  a  Synagogue  in  an 
obscure  lane,  where  I  knocked  loud  and  long  at  a  little  iron 
door  before  I  could  gain  admittance.  At  length  it  was 
opened  by  a  young  Jew,  who  thinking  me  a  Mussulman, 
demurred  at  first,  and  made  all  manner  of  excuses,  which 
soon  vanished  when  I  told  him  who  I  was.  The  synagogue 
was  a  small  room,  capable  of  holding  about  100  persons,  but 
exceedingly  dingy  and  filthy.  The  people  had  nothing  to 
show,  or  would  show  nothing  but  a  small  book  of  Hebrew 
Prayers,  with  one  in  it  for  Charles  X.  of  France.  It  was 
printed  at  Paris  in  the  reign  of  that  monarch.  The  stench 
of  the  place,  and  the  odor  diffused  by  a  little  body  of  their 
people,  who  followed  me  in,  soon  made  me  glad  to  escape. 
Here,  as  every  where  in  the  East,  the  quarter  of  this  despised 
and  outcast  race  is  low  and  close  and  miserable,  and  they, 
as  every  where,  filthy  and  cringing  and  knavish. 

With  some  of  the  Christians  whom  I  met  I  was  exceed- 
ingly pleased,  and  especially  with  one  of  the  Armenian 
Priests,  who  appeared,  from  his  conversation,  to  be  an  humble 
and  truly  religious  man.  It  is  pleasant  to  meet  with  such, 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  261 

especially  in  the  interior.  Often  there  is  also  a  serious  and 
devout  appearance  among  the  people,  which  shows  that  they 
too  are  sincere  in  their  worship.  I  have  noticed  sometimes, 
when  the  Gospel  has  been  read  in  a  language  understood  by 
the  people,  how  they  have  remained  in  perfect  silence,  drink- 
ing in  every  word,  while  the  rest  of  the  services  were  as 
unintelligible  to  them  as  to  me.  From  this  it  arises,  in  good 
part,  that  the  Eastern  congregations,  especially  in  the  capi- 
tal, are  sometimes  inattentive  and  noisy.  This  evil  it  will 
be  difficult  to  remedy  until  the  congregation  become  intel- 
ligent worshippers;  and  how  this  is  to  be  brought  about  in 
any  short  space  of  time,  it  seems  equally  difficult  to  say,  un- 
less it  be  by  having  translations  of  the  services  in  modern 
tongues  for  the  use  of  the  people,  while  the  priest  still  con- 
tinues to  minister  in  the  ancient  language.  The  clergy,  for 
the  most  part,  are  opposed  to  any  translation  of  the  offices 
for  their  own  use,  and  with  some  good  reason.  The  modern 
tongue  is  generally  corrupt  and  vulgar,  besides  that  it  is 
ever-varying  and  has  no  fixed  standard.1  They  esteem  it  a 
degradation  to  put  the  services  into  it  for  the  use  of  the 
sanctuary, — besides  that  no  translation  could  long  remain  a 
standard.  They  have,  too,  a  very  natural  prejudice  in  favor 
of  the  old  language,  as  the  ancient  tongue  of  their  nation. 
It  is,  after  all,  the  distinctive  language  of  their  race,  which 
is  preserved  only  in  the  standards  of  the  Church,  and  would 
soon  pass  away  if  those  standards  were  changed.  It  is  the 
language  in  which  their  fathers  worshipped  from  the  begin- 
ning, and  its  forms  have  all  the  sanctity  of  age  and  venerated 
associations.  It  is  their  national  bond,  and  they  hope  that 
by  preserving  it,  its  use  in  common  life  may  one  day  be  re- 

1  I  mean  by  this  double  mode  of  expression,  that  while  there  is  no 
classical  standard  of  the  modern  tongue,  which  is  universally  received 
as  such,  the  language  changes  differently  in  different  places,  being  cor- 
rupted in  one  place  by  Kurdish,  in  another  by  Turkish,  and  in  another  by 
Arabic. 

12* 


262  VISIT    TO   THE 

stored.  Besides,  the  modern  dialect  is,  in  many  places,  not 
a  corruption  of  the  ancient  tongue,  but  some  Mussulman 
language,  which  has  wholly  displaced  the  national.  Thus, 
in  large  provinces  of  Asia  Minor,  the  Greeks  have  lost  their 
Greek  altogether  and  speak  only  Turkish  ;  so  also  of  the 
Armenians  in  some  places.1  The  Syrians  in  many  parts 
know  only  Arabic.  It  is  almost  too  much  to  ask  that  they 
should  abandon  their  own  ancient  language  in  the  only  place 
where  it  is  retained,  and  introduce  a  Mussulman  dialect  in 
its  stead.  At  least,  there  is  no  probability  of  their  being 
induced  to  do  so.  The  best  course,  therefore,  is  to  revive 
as  much  as  possible  the  knowledge  of  the  ancient  tongue, 
and  in  the  mean  time  to  introduce  translations  of  the  Church 
services  for  common  use  among  the  people. 

At  Tocat,  during  my  first  visit,  I  noticed  a  little  inci- 
dent which  struck  me,  at  the  moment,  as  a  singular  proof  of 
the  honesty  of  the  people,  or  of  the  terror  inspired  by  govern- 
ment. Two  Tatars  arrived  from  Erzroum  with  several  loads 
of  specie,  destined  for  the  Royal  Treasury.  The  horses 
were  unladen  in  the  post-yard,  and  the  bags  containing  the 
money  were  thrown  down  in  the  middle  of  the  yard.  There 
they  remained  one  day  and  two  nights.  Hundreds  of  per- 
sons were  in  the  yard  during  this  time.  The  yard  opened 
upon  the  street,  and  there  was  free  access  by  day  and  night. 
No  one  dreamed  of  their  being  insecure ;  no  one  guarded 
them.  On  going  out  at  midnight,  I  observed  that  every 
body  was  abed,  the  gates  were  open,  and  the  bags  lying  un- 

1  I  have  heard  an  intelligent  Greek  of  Konieh  (Iconium)  read  a  page 
of  Greek  with  the  greatest  fluency,  when  he  was  not  able  to  tell  the 
meaning  of  a  single  word.  This  arises  from  the  fact  that  in  those  dis- 
tricts the  reading  of  the  ancient  language  is  preserved  in  the  Churches, 
while  the  meaning  of  it  is  entirely  lost.  In  other  regions,  where  a  mo- 
dern dialect  of  the  ancient  tongue  is  spoken,  the  case  is  hardly  much  bet- 
ter, both  on  account  of  the  difference  between  the  two,  and  because  of 
the  rapidity  and  indistinctness  with  which  the  services  are  read. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  263 

molested  within  twelve  feet  of  the  public  street.  Such  an 
incident  I  imagine  to  be  of  rare  occurrence  in  our  Western 
World,  but  whether  it  is  because  we  have  less  respect  for 
the  powers  that  be,  or  are  a  less  honest  race,  I  will  not 
venture  to  say.  The  Turks,  generally,  in  the  interior, 
have  a  sort  of  dogged  indifference  to  gain,  lawful  or  unlaw- 
ful, which  sometimes  stands  them  instead  of  more  active 
virtues,  but  I  doubt  whether  such  things  as  this  can  be 
traced  to  any  positive  moral  principle. 

I  spent  the  night  at  Tocat,  and  left  on  the  morning  of 
the  3d  of  August.  I  speak  now  of  my  second  visit,  during 
which,  all  that  I  saw  of  the  town  was  in  riding  through  it  ; 
and  of  the  people,  at  the  coffee-house  where  I  alighted.  The 
observations  which  I  have  recorded,  were  made  in  March,, 
1838,  when  I  spent  some  days  in  the  town.  I  had  now  but 
three  days  in  which  to  reach  Samsoun,  if  I  would  be  there  on 
the  morning  of  the  6th.  My  disease  had  been  gaining  upon 
me  throughout  the  journey,  and  had  brought  on  a  dropsical 
swelling  which  had  pervaded  all  my  limbs  and  almost  de- 
stroyed their  sensation.  My  legs  and  feet  especially  were 
so  distended  that  I  could  hardly  use  them  at  all.  For  sev- 
eral days  all  my  efforts  at  walking  were  to  go  from  the 
place  where  I  lay  at  night  to  the  door  of  the  house,  there 
to  mount  my  horse,  and  again,  when  the  day's  stage  was 
over,  from  the  door  where  I  dismounted  to  the  place  within 
where  my  bed  was  spread.  Besides  this,  I  probably  did 
not  walk  six  rods  during  all  the  journey  from  Diarbekir  to 
Samsoun. 

We  reached  Turkhal  in  eight  hours  from  Tocat,  and 
pushed  on  to  a  guard-house  in  the  mountains,  two  or  three 
hours  beyond,  which  I  reached  more  dead  than  alive.  The 
only  eatable  to  be  found  there  was  fresh  beans,  of  which 
the  guards  cooked  us  a  large  pot  full,  and  set  us  to  work 
upon  them  without  bread,  salt,  or  any  accompaniment  what- 
ever. J^ate  in  the  evening  my  fever  subsided,  and  I  did 


264  VISIT    TO    THE 

ample  justice  to  the  beans,  thankful  that  I  had  met  with 
something  besides  milk  and  yo-oort,  two  articles  that  had 
haunted  me  all  the  way,  and  would  have  been  very  welcome 
if  they  had  not  been  forbidden. 

Close  by  this  guard-house  there  is  a  gallows,  from  the 
cross-beam  of  which  project  upwards  long  sharp  irons  for 
transfixing  the  bodies  of  robbers  caught  in  the  mountains. 
The  guard  said  that  they  had  authority  to  execute  a  man  in  this 
way  as  soon  as  he  was  caught,  without  judge,  jury,  or  any 
form  of  law.  I  was  glad  to  hear  that  they  had  found  no  oppor- 
tunity for  exercising  their  office  of  late  years.  Near  by  was 
a  small  kioshk,  or  summer-house,  which  they  reported  to  have 
been  made  by  a  retired  Tatar  for  the  accommodation  of 
travellers.  The  whole  scene,  as  I  had  seen  it  in  1838,  struck 
me  as  exceedingly  romantic  ;  the  little  guard-house  nestled 
in  a  wild  gorge  of  the  mountains,  and  overshaded  by  an 
old  weather-beaten  oak,  upon  which  hung  the  arms  of  the 
guards,  and  beneath  it  seats  arranged  for  the  traveller, 
the  rough  mountain  sides,  the  kioshk  and  the  gibbet,  gave 
an  air  of  wildness  and  terror  to  the  scene,  which  made  it 
seem  more  like  the  haunt  of  brigands  than  the  abode  of  these 
rude  justices  of  the  peace. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  265 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

Amasieh. — Incident  at  a  Mosque. — Medresseh. — Mosque  of  Bayazid. — 
Mussulman  School. — The  Christians. — Population  of  the  Oriental 
Christians. — Leave  Amasieh. — Ladik. — Singular  Sights. — How  to  act 
in  Doubts. — Interposition  of  Providence. — Last  Stage. — Arrival  at  Sam- 
soun. — Steamer. — Kindness  of  new  Friends. — Constantinople. — Quar- 
antine.— Obligations  to  Dr.  John  Davy. — Narrow  Escape. — The  End. 

WE  left  the  guard-house  at  day-break,  and  after  a  short 
but  hard  day's  journey  over  the  mountains  and  through  the 
valleys,  reached  Amasieh,  a  beautiful  town  on  the  banks  of 
the  Yeshil  Irmak,  (Green  River,)  which  here  rolls  its  tide 
between  lofty  crags,  near  whose  summit,  on  the  left  side  of 
the  river,  are  apartments  cut  out  of  the  solid  rock,  said  to  be 
the  summer-houses  of  ancient  princes  ;  but  I  never  surveyed 
them.  My  business  now  was  to  get  to  the  post-house  before 
the  ague  came  on,  in  which  happily  I  succeeded.  The  post- 
master, unlike  those  ofTocat  and  Sivas,  was  most  prodigal 
of  his  attentions,  and  endeavored  to  make  me  comfortable 
and  contented.  I  will  not  stay  to  describe  Amasieh,  al- 
though I  had  formerly  spent  a  day  or  two  in  the  place,  but 
will  add  here  an  incident  which  belongs  more  properly  to  my 
narrative.  I  was  wandering  about  the  town  on  the  25th  of 
March,  1838,  looking  at  the  mosques  and  medressehs,  which  I 
found  no  difficulty  in  entering,  when  we  came  upon  an  old  and 
decayed  building  which  I  supposed  to  be  a  mosque.  Without 
were  several  turbehs,  or  tombs,  which  belong,  it  is  said,  to 


266  VISIT    TO    THE 

members  of  the  royal  family,  Amasieh  having  once  been  an 
abode  of  the  Turkish  Sultans. 

The  building  itself  is  a  good  specimen  of  the  Saracenic 
architecture,  which  is  still  preserved  in  some  of  the  old 
mosques  of  Turkey.  The  flight  of  steps  leading  up  to  it, 
was  covered  with  women,  whom  I  at  once  saw  to  be  Armen- 
ians. They  were  covered,  not  like  the  women  of  Constan- 
tinople, with  the  close  yashmak  and  ferejee,1  but  with  a 
white  robe  depending  from  the  top  of  the  head,  and  by  the 
aid  of  the  hand  brought  together  so  as  to  conceal  the  per- 
son and  most  of  the  features.  As  the  place  was  retired, 
several  of  them  had  thrown  aside  their  robe,  but  hastily  re- 
placed it  when  they  perceived  our  approach.  The  women 
of  Amasieh  are  noted  for  their  beauty,  and  there  were 
among  these  some  of  great  loveliness.  We  were  almost 
among  them  before  they  discovered  us,  for  their  faces  were 
generally  turned  to  the  door  of  the  building,  while  we  ap- 
proached from  behind.  There  was  a  great  fluster  and  some 
confusion  when  they  discovered  us.  Robes  were  hastily 
adjusted;  faces  that  were  turned  about  to  see  who  was  com- 
ing, were  as  suddenly  turned  away,  and  all  were  in  a  moment 
hidden  by  the  jealous  veil,  except  those  which  belonged  to 
some  of  the  younger  ones,  and  which  seemed  to  retire  slowly 
and  reluctantly  behind  their  shroud.  Still  one  eye  remained 
disclosed,  and  with  this  they  felt  themselves  at  liberty  to  look 
at  us  freely.  I  saw  at  the  first  glance,  that  they  were  Armen- 
ians, for  there  was  no  mistaking  the  fair  and  lovely  features 
with  which  the  females  of  this  race  who  live  in  cities  are 
endowed.  But  I  was  quite  at  a  loss  to  imagine  why  they 
had  gathered  themselves  upon  the  steps  of  a  mosque,  and 
were  so  evidently  intent  upon  something  within.  We 
mounted  the  steps,  and  were  about  to  enter,  omitting  to  put 
off  our  shoes  till  we  had  crossed  the  threshold.  The 

1    Yashmak  and  feregee — the  veil  and  cloak  of  Constantinople. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  267 

women  at  once  perceived  it,  and  supposing  that  we  did  not 
intend  to  put  them  off  at  all,  several  of  them  uttered  sup- 
pressed exclamations  of  indignation.  We  entered  the  build- 
ing and  were  at  once  in  the  body  of  the  mosque,  for  such  it 
was.  A  Turkish  woman  sat  near  the  door,  who  said  that 
she 'was  left  in  attendance  there  while  her  husband  was  ab- 
sent at  his  meal.  She  informed  me  farther  that  the  build- 
ing had  formerly  been  a  Christian  Church,  but  many  ages 
since  had  been  converted  into  a  mosque.  Indeed,  the  tombs 
and  appearance  of  the  building  would  indicate  as  much. 
But  the  Christians,  it  would  seem,  had  never  forgotten  their 
ancient  sanctuary,  and  still  assembled  on  holy  days,  of  which 
this  was  one,  at  the  door  of  the  mosque ;  farther  they  were 
not  allowed  to  intrude.  I  had  noticed  that  some  of  the 
women  appeared  to  be  engaged  in  devotion,  and  not  un- 
likely the  Church  was  the  resting-place  of  some  Christian 
Saint.  I  was  almost  ready  to  believe  it  when  I  saw  in  one 
corner  of  the  building  an  opening  into  a  tomb ;  but  the  old 
woman  assured  me  that  it  was  the  tomb  of  a  Sultan.  It 
was  dark  and  without  ornament  of  any  kind.  I  entered 
and  found  that  it  contained  several  graves  rudely  made  of 
brick  and  mortar.  Garments  of  various  kinds  were  spread 
upon  them,  to  gather  the  sanctity  of  those  who  slept  below, 
and  give  them  a  healing  efficacy.  It  is  not  uncommon  for 
Mussulmans  thus  to  use  the  graves  of  Christian  Saints,  for 
which  they  have  a  great  veneration.  Such  persons  were,  in 
the  true  sense  of  the  word,  Mussulmans,  or  "  men  devoted 
to  God,"  and  hence  it  was  that  Mohammed  himself  gave 
peculiar  privileges  to  monks  and  monasteries,  which  they 
have  ever  retained.  They  are  exempted  from  taxes,  are 
allowed  to  receive  revenues,  and  even  to  amass  riches  with 
impunity.  Their  privileges  have  sometimes  been  violated 
by  rapacious  Pashas,  but  generally  they  are  respected. 

At  one  side  of  the  tomb  just  mentioned,  was  another 
opening,  leading  to  a  vault  below.     I  wished  to  enter  it,  but 


268  VISIT    TO    THE 

my  guide,  who  was  a  Mussulman,  and  like  myself,  a  stran- 
ger, refused  to  descend  into  such  an  ugly  looking  place, 
and  I  attempted  the  descent  alone ;  not,  however,  without 
some  vague  apprehension  that  I  might  be  unable  to  get  out 
after  I  got  in,  and  not  knowing  exactly  where  and  at  what 
distance  from  the  opening  I  should  come  to  the  bottom.     I 
had  advanced,   however,  only  two  or  three  steps,   when  I 
caught  the  voice  of  one   apparently  in  prayer,  proceeding 
from  the  vault.     I  stopped  and  strained  my  eyes,  to  discover, 
if  possible,  whence  it  came,  but  every  thing  beneath  was 
merged   in  thick  darkness.     Not  wishing  to  disturb  what 
was   evidently  an  act  of  devotion,  I  returned  and  remained 
at  the  entrance.      Presently  a  woman,  also  a  Mussulman, 
came   out,    her  lips  still  moving  inarticulately  in  prayer. 
From  her  we  learned  that  there  was  nothing  to  be  seen  be- 
low, and  we  very  soon  retired  from  the  building.      As  we 
lifted  the  heavy  cloth  screen  which   covered  the  doorway, 
the  woman  who  sat  by,  said,  pointing  to  the  group  of  Chris- 
tians without,  "  Let  none  of  them  come  in  ;  it  is  sin."     I 
then  understood  that  it  was  counted  unlawful  for  a  Christian 
to  enter  this,  an  ancient  sanctuary  of  his  religion;  and  that 
in  my  own  case  it  would  not  have  been  permitted,  had  not 
my   Turkish   travelling   dress,    without    my    intending   or 
dreaming  of  it,  acted  as  a  disguise.     I  know  not  how  others 
may  feel  at  the  sight  of  such  scenes,  but  I  could  not  avoid, 
on  the  present  occasion,   a  burst  of  deep  sympathy  for  the 
poor  Christians,  thus  driven,  as  it  were,  from  the  sanctuary 
where  their   fathers  worshipped,  and  vainly  sighing  to  re- 
enter  its  courts.      I  knew  not  with  what  feeling  they    had 
gathered  there,  whether  it  was  of  reverence  for  a  place  of 
their  ancient  worship,  or  for  some  Saint  supposed  to  be  re- 
posing in  its  vaults.     Without  stopping  to  analyze  or  inquire 
into  the  nature  of  their   coming,  I  felt  myself  wounded  by 
the  contumelies  which  they  endured,  for  these  they  bore  only 
because  they  were  Christians. 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  269 

Near  this  Church  (for  we  will  call  it  by  its  right  name, 
and  the  day  may  come  when  it  will  return  to  its  rightful 
owners,)  is  a  doorway  with  stone  posts,  on  which  is  a  part 
of  a  Greek  inscription,  but  too  much  obliterated  to  draw 
any  meaning  from  what  remains.  I  entered  it,  and  found 
within  a  small  and  poor  Medresseh,  in  the  court  of  which  half 
a  dozen  lazy  students  were  lounging.  In  other  parts  of  the 
town  are  remains  of  Mussulman  institutions,  which  in  the 
time  of  the  old  Sultans  were  doubtless  in  better  keeping 
than  at  present.  One  of  them  is  a  Hospital  for  the  Insane, 
said  to  have  been  founded  by  Mohammed  II.,  the  conqueror 
of  Constantinople.  It  is  now  deserted.  On  the  bank  of  the 
river  is  the  mosque  of  Bayazid,  which  is  not  inferior  to  some 
of  the  imperial  mosques  at  Constantinople.  It  is  spacious 
within,  having  two  domes  supported  by  heavy  masses  of 
brick  or  stone  work,  and  has  in  front  a  beautiful  court,  look- 
ing upon  the  river.  Its  Medresseh,  like  those  of  all  the  royal 
mosques  which  I  have  seen  out  of  Constantinople,  is  small, 
furnishing  accommodations  for  less  than  twenty  students  ; 
but  the  institution  is  better  endowed,  and  the  instruction, 
therefore,  more  complete  than  in  most  of  the  Medressehs  of 
the  interior.  One  of  the  other  mosques  appeared  to  have 
been  erected  on  a  liberal  scale,  but  is  now  in  ruins,  and  no 
other  has  risen  to  take  its  place.  I  visited  also  some  of  the 
Mussulman  schools,  but  saw  nothing  in  them  more  than  is 
usually  found  in  these  poor  abodes  of  learning, — a  few  boys 
sitting  upon  the  floor,  see-sawing  over  the  Koran,  every  one 
reading  at  the  utmost  pitch  of  his  voice,  and  all  together, 
the  teacher  sitting  in  one  corner,  superintending  the  Babel 
before  him ;  now  chiding  one  boy  for  not  see-sawing  with 
sufficient  alertness,  and  now  bawling  out  a  correction  to 
another,  whi<^i  any  one  who  thought  it  belonged  to  him  was 
at  liberty  to  appropriate.  On  the  wall  hung  a  small  rod 
with  a  string  attached,  the  latter  being  intended  to  be  wound 
round  the  ankles,  which  are  then  raised  by  a  boy  at  each 


270  VISIT    TO    THE 

end  of  the  rod,  while  another,  or  the  master  himself,  applies 
a  smaller  rod  to  the  soles  of  the  feet  thus  displayed.  The 
custom  may  seem  a  strange  one,  but  so  doubtless  would 
ours  to  an  Oriental,  who  should  see  the  same  sort  of  punish- 
ment applied  to  the  palms  of  the  hands. 

These  and  other  observations,  which  it  is  unnecessary 
now  to  record,  v  ere  made  at  a  time  when  my  attention  was 
particularly  turned  to  the  Mussulmans.  I  would  fain  at  my 
second  visit  have  prosecuted  some  inquiries  of  the  same  kind 
with  regard  to  the  Christians,  but  there  was  little  profit  in 
tarrying  for  the  purpose,  when  I  was  unable  to  go  beyond 
the  threshold  of  the  post-house  where  I  was  domiciled  for 
the  night.  I  had  formerly  estimated  the  population  of  the 
town  at  3000  families,  of  which  perhaps  500  are  Armenians 
and  15  Greeks.  The  former  have  three  Churches,  and  the 
Greeks  one,  which  would  seem  to  show  that  the  Christian 
population  was  anciently  much  larger  than  at  present.  The 
place  was  formerly  the  seat  of  a  Greek  Bishop,  but  is  now 
attached  to  the  diocese  of  Sinope.  In  those  days,  the 
Church  which  I  visited  may  have  been  the  Metropolitan 
Church,  and  the  Medresseh  near  by,  a  school  or  college  of 
the  same.  Now  nothing  remains  but  a  few  scattered  fami- 
lies, with  their  priest,  and  asingle  Church,  which  is  more  than 
large  enough  for  their  wants.  The  Greek  population  has 
gradually  faded  from  the  interior,  and  excepting  in  the  dis- 
tricts of  Iconium  and  Caesarea,  is  chiefly  to  be  found  about 
the  shores  of  the  Levant.  The  only  Greek  Bishop  South  of 
Trebizond  and  East  of  the  great  road  from  Samsoun  to  Di- 
arbekir,  is  at  Ergin,  in  the  valley  of  the  Euphrates,  and  the 
Greeks  residing  beyond  the  same  limits  amount  to  but  a  few 
hundred  families.  The  centre  of  population,  as  well  as  of 
ecclesiastical  influence  and  authority,  is  Constantinople, 
from  which  you  have,  on  the  North,  the  regions  of  European 
Turkey,  together  with  Moldavia  and  Wallachia;  on  the 
East  and  Southeast,  the  still  nume  rous  population  of  Asia 


SYRIAN    CHURCH.  271 

Minor,  the  country  of  the  Seven  Churches;  on  the  South 
and  Southwest,  the  Islands  of  the  Archipelago  and  the  little 
kingdom  of  Greece.  In  all  these  countries  the  Greek 
Church  predominates.  Farther  East,  North  of  Kurdistan, 
the  Armenians  are  the  most  numerous;  in  Mesopotamia, 
the  Syrians  and  Chaldeans;  and  in  Kurdistan  itself,  the 
Nestorians  in  the  Easterly  parts,  and  the  Syrians  and  Arme- 
nians in  the  Westerly.  If  we  estimate  this  whole  population 
of  Christians,  together  with  those  of  Syria,  Egypt,  and  Abys- 
sinia, at  15,000,000,  we  shall  exceed  rather  than  fall  below 
the  truth. 

This  is  the  whole  population  of  the  Oriental  Christians. 
Of  these  there  are  connected  with  the  Roman  See  about 
200,000,  one  half  of  whom  are  Maronites.  The  remainder 
are  divided  ecclesiastically  into  Greeks,  Armenians,  Abys- 
sinians,  Syrians,  Copts,  and  Nestorians.  Of  these,  the  Ar- 
menians, Syrians,  Copts,  and  Abyssinians  are  called  Mono- 
phy sites,  and  though  differing  much  in  rites  and  usages, 
are  in  full  communion  with  each  other.  The  Nesto- 
rians stand  apart,  in  practice  perhaps  the  most  pure  and 
primitive  of  all.  The  Greeks  alone,  however,  are  clear- 
ly orthodox  in  the  great  doctrines  respecting  the  nature 
of  Christ,  but  they  acknowledge  the  7th  Council,  by  which 
the  worship  of  pictures  was  established,  and  have  more  cor- 
rupt practices  and  innovations  than  any  other  body  of  Eastern 
Christians.  It  is  important,  in  speaking  of  the  Oriental 
Communions,  to  make  these  distinctions  ;  for  what  is  true 
of  one  is  not  always  true  of  the  others,  and  much  confusion 
and  error  have  arisen  from  an  indiscriminate  mode  of  speak- 
ing. By  the  use  of  general  terms,  some  have  been  blamed 
for  what  they  do  not  hold,  and  others  praised  where  they  do 
not  deserve  it.  The  Eastern  Churches  are  far  from  being  a 
body  at  one  with  itself,  and  supposing  our  own  position  to  be 
a  true  one,  we  hold,  in  some  respects,  a  distinct  and  different 
position  towards  each  member  of  the  body. 


272  VISIT    TO    THE 

We  left  Amasieh  on  the  morning  of  the  5th,  and  reached 
Ladik  about  noon.  The  road  through  the  pine-forests  was 
easy  and  pleasant  at  this  season,  reminding  me,  by  way  of 
contrast,  of  a  former  journey,  when  we  spent  a  whole  day  in 
going  the  same  distance.  Ladik  is  a  Casabah,  or  small 
town,  containing  about  two  hundred  families,  of  which  only 
five  are  Christian.  It  has  a  bazar,  a  khan,  and,  strange  to 
see  in  such  a  place,  a  handsome  mosque  with  two  minarets, 
erected  by  a  Pasha,  and  afterwards  repaired  and  improved 
by  a  Sultan.  The  houses  are  built  of  rough  timber,  much 
after  the  manner  of  the  log-houses  in  the  Western  parts  of 
the  United  States,  and  the  roofs,  strange  to  tell,  were  cov- 
ered with  wooden  shingles.  A  still  more  novel  sight  for  a 
Turkish  town  were  the  wooden  fences  around  the  neigh- 
boring fields  and  the  premises  of  some  of  the  houses,  and 
these  were  made  of  bars  in  the  style  of  a  New-England  farm. 
I  had  never  seen  such  sights  in  Turkey,  and  they  awakened 
emotions  which  might  perhaps  at  that  moment  as  well  have 
slept.  Sick  and  alone,  the  sight  of  any  thing  that  told  of 
home  brought  such  a  train  of  sweet  remembrances  as  made 
the  present  hard  to  bear.  It  was,  however,  no  inconsidera- 
ble consolation  that  I  was  near  my  journey's  end,  but  how 
to  reach  Samsoun  before  to-morrow  morning,  when  the 
steamer  would  pass,  it  was  impossible  to  tell.  There  were 
still  eighteen  hours,  or  about  fifty-four  miles,  between  me 
and  the  harbor.  In  what  remained  of  the  day,  I  could  not 
accomplish  more  than  eighteen  miles,  and  if  my  daily  attack 
came  on,  it  would  entirely  incapacitate  me  for  travelling  by 
night.  I  could  not  ride  at  more  than  a  caravan's  rate  at  the 
best, — about  three  miles  an  hour,  and  I  was  already  quite 
exhausted  by  the  ride  from  Amasieh.  But  I  had  a  strong 
presentiment  that  I  should  reach  Samsoun  in  time,  although 
to  the  eye  of  sober  reason  it  seemed  utterly  impossible. 
There  is  no  better  maxim  than  that  of  the  Germans — "  Do 
the  duty  which  lies  nearest  thee."  In  the  spirit  of  this  rule 


SYRIAN    CHURCH. 


273 


I  mounted  my  horse  at  Ladik,  because  it  was  the  next  thing 
to  be  done,  and  rode  all  the  way  through  the  hard-wood 
forests  to  CaVak,  a  miserable  little  village  of  about  thirty 
houses,  built  in  the  same  style  with  Ladik.  Here  I  waited 
patiently  for  the  ague  to  commence,  for  that  was  the  next 
thing  to  be  done,  when,  to  my  great  surprise,  the  hour  came 
and  went  without  any  appearance  of  it.  It  had  never  failed 
before  of  coming  each  day  at  its  appointed  hour,  and  had 
been  increasing  in  severity  from  the  beginning.  I  was 
astonished  and  thankful  beyond  measure,  for  I  could  not 
but  count  it  a  gracious  interposition  of  Providence,  to  save 
me  from  the  danger  of  another  week's  sickness  without 
medical  relief.  I  waited  two  hours,  and  then  with  a  bound- 
ing heart  ordered  my  horses.  The  excitement  of  the  mo- 
ment or  the  temporary  relief  from  the  disorder  which  had 
been  preying  upon  me  day  after  day,  gave  me  new  strength, 
and  for  the  first  time  since  leaving  Mardin,  we  broke  into  a 
trot,  and  scoured  the  hills  at  a  good  round  pace.  Never 
shall  I  forget  how  sweetly  the  moon  seemed  to  shine  that 
night,  or  what  grateful  emotions  filled  my  breast,  as  we 
rode  in  its  tranquil  light  over  hill  and  dale,  through  pine 
woods  and  cultivated  fields.  We  reached  Samsoun  early  in 
the  morning,  and  I  had  just  time  to  put  myself  in  order  for 
more  civilized  society,  when  the  gallant  steamer  made  her 
appearance  in  the  offing,  and  fired  her  gun  as  a  signal  for 
passengers  to  come  on  board.  With  walking  and  carrying 
I  reached  the  boat,  and  a  few  minutes'  rowing  brought  us 
to  the  steamer,  where  the  first  whom  I  met  was  the  worthy 
captain  whom  I  had  left  at  Trebizond  three  months  before. 
Disease  and  the  hot  sun  of  Mesopotamia  had  made  me  al- 
most a  stranger,  and  it  was  with  some  ado  that  I  could 
establish  my  identity.  I  am  indebted  to  him  for  the  same 
kind  attentions  as  on  my  former  passage,  and  have  to  ac- 
knowledge my  obligations  to  some  of  my  fellow-passengers, 
and  especially  to  two  ladies  whose  interest  in  one,  till  then 


274  VISIT    TO    THE 

unknown  to  them,  relieved  for  a  few  days  my  hours  of  sick- 
ness, and  whose  advice  was  both  timely  and  beneficial. 
Thus  in  every  situation  woman  is  found  the  same  tender- 
hearted and  compassionate  being,  ever  ready  to  alleviate 
distress,  ever  attentive  to  the  claims  of  humanity,  adorning 
virtue  while  she  practices  its  self-forgetting  precepts,  and 
blessing  as  much  by  the  gentleness  with  which  she  relieves 
suffering,  as  by  the  good  which  her  friendly  interposition 
accomplishes,  thus  fulfilling  her  high  and  holy  destiny  as  at 
once  the  ornament  and  the  benefactress  of  the  race. 

We  entered  the  Bosphorus  on  the  morning  of  the  9th  of 
August,  one  day  after  the  time  when  I  had  promised  my  friends 
in  Mardin  that  I  would  be  there,  God  willing.  The  delay 
was  owing  to  the  steamer's  taking  a  vessel  in  tow  for  some 
250  miles,  by  which  we  lost  twenty-four  hours.  At  length 
we  cast  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Constantinople,  and  I  was 
hoping  in  a  few  minutes  to  be  among  old  friends  and  in  the 
bosom  of  my  own  family,  when  an  order  came  that  we 
should  go  into  quarantine  for  a  single  case  of  supposed 
plague  in  a  village  six  hours  distant  from  Trebizond,  which 
was  reported  in  our  bill  of  health.  There  was  no  remedy 
but  patience,  so  we  retraced  our  course  to  the  quarantine 
ground  on  the  Bosphorus.  As  we  landed  on  the  quay,  we 
were  drawn  up  in  a  line,  and  every  man  required  to  strike 
first  his  left  breast,  then  his  right  breast,  and  then  his  thighs, 
to  see  if  he  was  sound.  It  was  only  with  extreme  difficulty 
that  I  could  perform  this  operation.  This  and  my  wretched 
appearance  made  me  an  object  of  suspicion,  and  my  good 
friend,  Capt.  C.  was  compelled  solemnly  to  asseverate  that 
to  the  best  of  his  belief  I  had  not  the  plague.  I  found  still 
greater  advantage  in  making  myself  known  to  the  Director, 
in  whom  I  recognized  an  old  acquaintance.  His  family 
had  received  some  important  services  from  American  offi- 
cers on  the  coast  of  Africa,  which  had  made  him  a  great 
"  friend  of  our  nation."  He  repaid  it  now  by  taking  me 


SYRIAN    CHURCH. 


275 


under  his  special  care,  and  giving  me  one  of  the  best  rooms 
in  the  old  cavalry  barracks  which  served  as  a  lazaretto. 
Opposite  me  was  an  English  gentleman,  who  had  gone  to 
Trebizond  for  the  pleasure  of  the  excursion,  and  had  now  to 
pay  for  it  by  ten  days'  imprisonment.  1  am  indebted  to  him 
for  the  agreeable  society  which  made  my  own  confinement 
more  tolerable,  but  my  chief  acknowledgments  are  due  to 
Dr.  John  Davy,  (brother  of  Sir  Humphrey  Davy, — par  no- 
bile  fratrum,)  who  with  great  kindness  visited  me  repeat- 
edly in  my  prison,  and  administered  to  me  with  perfect  skill 
and  success.  The  daily  attacks  had  been  suspended  only 
for  a  single  day,  as  if  to  enable  me  to  reach  Samsoun,  after 
which  they  recommenced  their  regular  course  and  never 
again  failed  until  they  were  arrested  by  the  skill  of  the  phy- 
sician. Another  medical  friend  was  of  opinion  that  the 
single  day's  cessation,  by  saving  me  from  a  week's  detention 
in  the  interior,  saved  my  life.  However  that  may  be,  and  I 
mention  it  only  as  an  instance  of  events  most  important  to 
ourselves  turning  upon  causes  apparently  the  most  trivial,  I 
owe,  under  God,  a  gradual  and  eventually  complete  restora- 
tion to  the  excellent  friend  whose  benevolence  and  kindness 
prompted  him  to  render  his  services.  Would  that  the  same 
noble  dispositions  which  had  induced  him,  at  the  call  of  his 
Government,  to  offer  his  aid  for  the  amelioration  of  the 
wretched  hospitals  and  quarantines  of  Turkey,  had  met 
with  men  capable  of  appreciating  and  desiring  such  im- 
provements, instead  of  encountering  a  short-sighted  and  bar- 
barous policy  which  looks  only  at  immediate  ends  and  tem- 
porary expedients. 

At  the  end  of  nine  days  we  were  released,  and  a  few  days 
afterwards  it  was  ascertained  that  the  case  of  plague  for 
which  we  had  been  confined,  was  no  plague  at  all, — a  dis- 
covery which  would  have  been  a  valuable  one,  if  it  had  been 
more  timely. 

THE  END. 


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